Gaza: Israeli army orders new evacuations in Rafah

The Israeli military ordered further evacuations in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its operation. The IDF also indicated that it was positioning itself near an area in the north of the Palestinian enclave where Hamas has regrouped.

The decision to intervene in Rafah was taken despite opposition and criticism from the international community. US President Joe Biden has already said he will not provide offensive weapons to Israel for Rafah, and on Friday the US said Israel’s use of US weapons had “probably violated international law.”

The United Nations has warned for weeks that an Israeli assault on Rafah, which borders Egypt near major aid entry points, would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous increase in civilian casualties.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians – half of Gaza’s population – have taken refuge in Rafah, most after fleeing Israeli offensives in other areas of the enclave. The evacuations are forcing residents to return to the north, devastated by previous Israeli attacks.

Humanitarian organizations estimate that 110,000 people had already left Rafah before Saturday’s evacuation order, with another 40,000 people expected to follow.

Georgios Petropoulos, an official with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rafah, said aid workers did not have materials to help them settle into the new sites. “We simply have no tents, no blankets, no bedding, none of the things that a population on the move would be expected to get from the humanitarian system.”did he declare.

The World Food Program has warned that there will be no more food to distribute in the southern Gaza Strip by Saturday, Mr. Petropoulos said. Fuel is also expected to run out soon, which could force hospitals to halt critical operations. And stop the trucks transporting aid to the south and center of the Gaza Strip.