The Israeli military has begun evacuating Palestinian civilians from the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip as a large-scale military operation approaches.
According to Israeli media reports on Monday, the Israeli military has urged Palestinian civilians in the eastern part of Rafah to move to humanitarian tent cities set up by the Israeli army in Khan Younis and Al Muwassi.
In a statement, the military said it will use posters, text messages, phone calls, and media to encourage civilians to gradually move to the designated areas.
The military also mentioned that they have expanded assistance to the region, including field hospitals, tents, food, and water.
On Sunday, while ceasefire negotiations with Hamas were ongoing, Hamas attacked a major crossing point through which Israel was delivering aid to Gaza, resulting in the deaths of three Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on that day that Israel will not allow Hamas to regain control of Gaza. He stated, “Hamas is demanding that we withdraw all troops from Gaza, end the war, and let Hamas take power. Israel will not accept that.”
On May 5, Hamas representatives met with mediators from Egypt and Qatar for ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, entering the second day of talks. Sources revealed that no progress was being made as Hamas demanded an end to the war.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, while comforting troops on the same day, stated that Hamas is not serious about the ongoing negotiations and warned that Israel is about to launch a large-scale military operation in Rafah to completely eliminate Hamas militants.
On October 7 last year, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a sudden attack on southern Israel, resulting in at least 1,200 deaths and 253 people being taken hostage. It is believed that around 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza.