Israel has issued new evacuation orders in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its military operation.
With Saturday’s orders, Israeli forces have now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, penetrating to the limits of the densely populated central area.
These orders face 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 cause a disastrous surge in the number of civilian victims.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing Israeli military bombardments in other parts of the enclave. Considered the last refuge in the Gaza Strip, the evacuations are forcing people to return to the north, to areas devastated by previous attacks.
People have already been displaced several times and there are few places left to settle in the besieged Gaza Strip. Those fleeing fighting earlier this week set up new tent camps in the town of Khan Younis, which had been half-destroyed in a previous Israeli offensive, and in the central town of Deir el-Balah, putting strain on infrastructure.
