Israeli forces order Palestinians to leave some areas of Rafah ahead of planned attack

The Israeli army told about 100,000 Palestinians to leave the city of Rafah in Gaza on Monday. This makes it more likely that a ground attack will happen soon and makes it harder to make a deal to stop the fighting.

The upcoming operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are staying, has made people around the world worried. Israel’s closest friends have advised against it because they are afraid that many people could be killed. On Monday, the United Nations organization that helps Palestinian refugees said it will not follow the order to leave.

Israel says that Rafah is an important place for Hamas after fighting for seven months. They say they need to invade to defeat the Islamic militant group, which started the conflict by attacking Israel on Oct 7th.

Hamas and Qatar warned that going into Rafah, which is near the border with Egypt, could ruin the work of international mediators trying to make a cease-fire.

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, who speaks for the army, said that about 100,000 people are being told to go to a place called Muwasi. It is a zone set up by Israel to help people in need. Muwasi is a camp by the coast with tents where many Palestinians have gone to find safety. The conditions there are not good.

Shoshani said Israel was getting ready for a small operation and did not say if this was the start of a bigger invasion of the city. Israel did not officially tell everyone that they were starting to send soldiers into Gaza.

Last night, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Israel had to take action in Rafah.

On Sunday, Hamas launched a rocket attack from the Rafah area that killed four Israeli soldiers. It’s not clear if the upcoming operation is a response to this attack.

He said Israel made a map of the area people need to leave, and they are giving out orders using leaflets dropped from airplanes, text messages, and radio. He said Israel has given more help to Muwasi by providing hospitals, tents, food, and water.

Israel’s army posted on social media that they will use strong force against militants and told people to leave quickly to stay safe.

Jan Egeland, the leader of the Norwegian Refugee Council, criticized the order to make people leave and go to Muwasi. He said it was wrong and against the law.

“The area is already too full and doesn’t have important services,” Egeland said.

Around4 million Palestinians, which is more than half of the people living in Gaza, are living in a crowded area called Rafah and the places nearby. Many people left their homes in the area to escape from Israel’s attack. Now, they have to move again or stay and face the danger of another attack.

They live in very crowded tent camps, full UN shelters, or small apartments, and rely on help from other countries for food. The sanitation and medical facilities are not working well.

People in Rafah, Palestine talked about what to do after getting some papers.

“Many people here had to leave their homes and now they have to move again. It’s not safe for anyone to stay here,” said Nidal Alzaanin in a phone call to The Associated Press.

Alzaanin is a dad of five kids and he works for a group that helps people around the world. He ran away to Rafah from Beit Hanoun when the war started. He said that people are worried because Palestinians have said they were shot at during previous evacuations. Israel says it did not shoot at civilians.

Alzaanin said he’s ready to move with his papers and bags. But he’ll wait a day to see what other people do before he moves. He said his friend in Khan Younis can put up a tent for his family.

The UN agency called UNRWA has been helping many Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for a long time. They said that if there is an attack in Rafah, it will cause a lot of harm to innocent people and could lead to more deaths. Juliette Touma, who is in charge of talking to the public for the agency, said they have not made anyone leave their jobs and don’t plan to. The agency has a lot of workers in the city.

The Rafah crossing in Egypt, which is an important place for aid going to Gaza, is in the area that people have to leave because of danger. The crossing stayed open on Monday even though Israel said it should be closed.

The war started when Hamas and other fighters attacked southern Israel on October 7th. They killed about 1,200 people, mostly innocent civilians, and took about 250 people as hostages.

The fighting has caused the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, as reported by local health officials. The count doesn’t show who is a civilian or a fighter, but officials say most of the people who died are kids and women. The fighting has caused a lot of damage in Gaza, and most of the people there have left to go to other areas.

Lately, more people want the war to stop. Even though the US, Egypt, and Qatar want fighting to stop, the leader of Israel says their military will keep moving into the city, even if a deal is made to stop fighting in exchange for hostages being released.

On Monday, Netanyahu blamed Hamas for ruining a deal and not giving up their strong demands. He promised to prevent the militants from taking over Gaza again. He gave a strong speech on Sunday for the country’s Holocaust memorial day and said that Israel will keep fighting even if no one helps them.

A Hamas leader said to The Associated Press that Israel is trying to force the group to give in on the cease-fire, but Hamas will not change its demands. Hamas wants the war to stop completely, Israeli soldiers to leave Gaza, and the strip to be rebuilt in the future.