The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have urged residents of eastern Rafah, in the southern , to evacuate to an “expanded humanitarian area.”
The call comes ahead of a possible offensive.
The Israeli military says it “encourages” the residents to move to an area in the al-Mawasi refugee camp, on the Mediterranean not far from the border with Egypt.
“In accordance with the approval of the government, an ongoing situation assessment will guide the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas, to the humanitarian areas,” the IDF said in a Telegram post.
The IDF described the evacuation as “temporary,” and added that calls for the relocation would be “conveyed through posters, SMS messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic.”
“The IDF will continue pursuing Hamas everywhere in Gaza until all the hostages that they are holding in captivity are back home.”
On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah.”
His comments came after , listed as a terrorist group in several countries including Germany and the United States, attacked Israel’s main crossing point Sunday for delivering assistance, killing three soldiers.
rc/wmr (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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