On Saturday, May 11, the Israeli military urged Palestinians in more areas of the southern Gaza city of Rafah to evacuate to the humanitarian shelter in Al-Mawasi in western Gaza.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on social media urging residents and displaced people from 11 other neighborhoods in northern Gaza, including Jabalia, to immediately seek refuge in the expanded humanitarian area in western Gaza to escape the conflict.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the Palestinian armed group Hamas is suspected to be gathering again in northern Gaza, prompting Israeli military operations in the region. The Israeli military stated that so far, around 300,000 people from Gaza have moved to the shelters in Al-Mawasi.
The northern part of Gaza has become the primary target for the Israeli ground offensive. The Israeli government announced the dismantling of Hamas armed forces in the region by the end of last year.
On Friday, Israel deployed tanks on the main roads on both sides of Rafah for an operation against Hamas in the eastern part. The military aims to eliminate thousands of Hamas militants in Rafah to end the conflict.
The White House expressed concern on Friday regarding Israel’s military actions. However, the operations seem to focus on localized areas around the Rafah crossing without a large-scale ground offensive.
The Biden administration noted that Israel’s use of US-provided weapons in Gaza may violate international humanitarian law, but due to the chaotic nature of the conflict, specific instances cannot be verified.
Hamas launched a sudden terrorist attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year, igniting the fire of conflict between the two sides.
According to Israeli government statistics, Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people in this terrorist attack and took over 250 hostages, with an estimated 130 hostages still believed to be held captive in Gaza.