Israel issued new evacuation orders in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, forcing tens of thousands more people to flee as it prepares to expand its military operation.
Under Saturday's orders, Israeli forces have evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, advancing toward the edges of the densely populated central area.
The orders come in the face of international opposition and criticism. President Joe Biden has already said that the United States will not provide offensive weapons to Israel because of its Rafah offensive.
The United Nations and other agencies have warned for weeks that an Israeli attack on Rafah, which borders Egypt near the main aid entry point, would cripple humanitarian operations and lead to a disastrous rise in civilian casualties.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing Israeli army bombings in other parts of the enclave. Considered the last refuge in the Gaza Strip, evacuations are forcing people to return north to areas devastated by previous attacks.
People have already been displaced several times and there are few places left in the besieged Strip to move to. Those who fled the fighting earlier this week set up new tent camps in the town of Khan Younis, which was half destroyed in an earlier Israeli offensive, and in the central town of Deir el-Balah, testing the infrastructure.
