The Israeli Defense Forces have begun the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from Rafah in anticipation of an expected military operation. That same afternoon, there are reports of Israeli attacks in the evacuated area.
Published: 06/05/2024 07:36 | Updated: 06/05/2024 12:32
The case is updated
At 12.15, Reuters reports that Israel is attacking the evacuated area in Rafah. The information must come from Hamas-affiliated media. Details of the attacks are not known.
It comes after the Israeli military confirmed just after 07:00 on Monday morning that they are “calling on residents of eastern parts of Rafah to move towards humanitarian areas.”
People in the area should have received messages on their phones on Monday morning to move west. Just after 08:00, the first families will have started to move from Rafah’s eastern parts.
There will be talk of the evacuation of around 100,000 people, according to Israeli military authorities.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted on Sunday that a planned military operation in Rafah would begin shortly.
An estimated 1.1 million residents have fled to Rafah, which Israel is threatening to invade. The city is located in the very south of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior member of Hamas, tells Reuters that Israel’s evacuation announcement is a “dangerous escalation that will have consequences”.
– Expect more from both parties
The Israeli defense minister is said to have told the US defense minister that there will be an offensive against Rafah as Hamas does not want to release the hostages from the terrorist attack on 7 October, writes Reuters.
Hopes for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas dwindled over the past weekend.
– It is crucial that both Hamas and Israel do what they can to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, says Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap).
– The whole world is watching the talks, and expects both parties to show a willingness to meet each other, he says in a statement about the ceasefire negotiations.
The most important thing now is to agree to stop the hostilities, release the hostages and improve humanitarian access to Gaza, he believes.
– Gaza is a man-made disaster. Words cannot describe the suffering and distress the 2.3 million inhabitants have gone through in the last seven months. The most important thing now is to agree to stop the hostilities, release the hostages and improve humanitarian access to Gaza, says Barth Eide.
He emphasizes that a ceasefire is the short-term goal.
– At the same time, it is crucial that the international community, as well as the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, get involved in the political track, including moving forward in the work for a Palestinian state, he says.
