15 May 2024

Israel Orders New Evacuations in Rafah as it Prepares to Expand Military Operation

WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM MEDNICK AND SAMY MAGDY 

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 amid the war from close ally the United States and others.

As pro-Palestinian protests continued, 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, considered Gaza's last refuge. The United Nations has warned that the planned full-scale Rafah invasion would further cripple humanitarian operations and cause a surge in civilian casualties.

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