Israel orders Rafah evacuations ahead of threatened ground assault
May 11 (UPI) -- Israel on Saturday ordered thousands more people to evacuate the city of Rafah in southern Gaza as it expands its military operation on the ground.
The newest evacuation orders apply to people in the central part of the city. In 2017, Rafah's population was about 234,000, but it has swollen to around 1.4 million as people elsewhere in Gaza sought shelter from Israel's military campaign.
Israel said it will move ahead with ground operations in the overcrowded Rafah, despite warnings from its Western allies and the United Nations that such an offensive could produce a large number of civilian casualties.
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the operation could "cause a catastrophic situation for the civilian population of Gaza."
Israeli officials say the evacuations are necessary to limit civilian casualties as the country's military prepares for an all-out ground offensive in Rafah.
At the same time, Israel also ordered further evacuations in areas around Gaza City over attempts by Hamas militants to regroup.
"Following attempts by Hamas to reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and operatives in Jabaliya, the IDF has called on the civilian population of Jabaliya and the surrounding areas to temporarily evacuate to shelters in western Gaza City," the Israel Defense Forces said on X Saturday morning.
"This is being done in accordance with international law to reduce harm to the civilian population and move civilians away from the combat zone."
On Tuesday, Israeli troops launched a campaign to capture the lone border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, killing around 20 Hamas militants in the process.
Earlier in the week, President Joe Biden said the United States would not continue to supply Israel with offensive weapons for use in Rafah if its military goes through with the full military ground campaign in the Palestinian enclave's southernmost city.
A new field hospital was established and began operating in the area of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. This was done in coordination with @cogatonline to increase humanitarian aid efforts and ensure aid reaches the Gazan civilians that were relocated from eastern Rafah.
The... pic.twitter.com/mIICqHdHqt— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 11, 2024
The IDF published photos Saturday of a new field hospital in central Gaza, aimed at treating civilians that were relocated from eastern Rafah.
Hamas said it is holding the United States "fully responsible" for the progressing IDF military operation in Rafah.
"We hold the U.S. administration and its President Biden fully responsible for the escalation of these crimes against civilians, including children, women and the elderly, by continuing to provide cover for Zionist fascism to continue its crimes," the terrorist group said in a statement Saturday.
