Israel Orders Evacuation of Most of Gaza’s Southern City of Rafah

The Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of most of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about an impending large-scale ground offensive. The directive, issued during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, instructs Palestinians to move to Muwasi, an overcrowded area of makeshift tent camps along the coastline.

Israel renewed its military campaign earlier this month after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. In early March, it imposed a blockade, cutting off essential supplies, including food, fuel, and medical aid, to Gaza’s two million residents. The blockade was aimed at pressuring Hamas into accepting revisions to the ceasefire agreement.

The latest evacuation orders suggest that Israel may soon launch another major offensive in Rafah, where its military previously conducted operations in May 2024. That operation left large sections of the city in ruins and resulted in the seizure of a strategic corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border. Israel also took control of the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only passage to the outside world not under Israeli jurisdiction.

Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in January, Israel was expected to withdraw from the corridor. However, it refused to do so, citing security concerns and the need to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that military operations would continue until Hamas releases the remaining 59 hostages, of whom 24 are believed to be alive. Israel has also demanded Hamas’s disarmament and withdrawal from Gaza—terms not included in the ceasefire agreement and firmly rejected by the militant group.

Netanyahu also reiterated plans for Israel to assume security control over Gaza post-war and implement a controversial proposal by former U.S. President Donald Trump to resettle the region’s Palestinian population in other countries. Palestinian leaders have condemned the plan, viewing it as forced expulsion, while human rights organizations warn that such measures would likely violate international law.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a massive offensive that has since claimed over 50,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ongoing war has displaced 90% of Gaza’s population, with widespread destruction making future rebuilding efforts uncertain.

As tensions escalate, the international community continues to push for a lasting ceasefire and humanitarian relief in the war-torn region.