RAFAH: Israel ordered new evacuations in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its military operation closer to the heavily populated central area, in defiance of growing pressure from close ally the United States and others.
Israel’s military also said it was moving into an area of devastated northern Gaza where it asserted that the Hamas militant group has regrouped. Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, which is considered the last refuge in Gaza.
The United Nations and others have warned that Israel’s planned full-scale Rafah invasion would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous surge in civilian casualties.