Israel’s military ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate the southern Gaza city of Rafah, signaling that a long-awaited ground invasion could be imminent.
The evacuation order comes at a time when indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas appear to be stalling amid intense disagreements between the conflicting sides.
The United States and Qatar, which have been mediating the talks along with Egypt, were due to hold discussions on Monday in Doha, but state media in Egypt said ceasefire talks had stalled after a rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send ground forces to Rafah to attack Hamas fighters regardless of any truce, even as key allies, the US, other countries and aid groups raise concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the city .
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) condemned the “forced and illegal” evacuation order of the Israeli army in Rafah, saying it could lead to “the deadliest phase of this conflict”.
Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the international nonprofit NRC, says there are not enough resources in Israel’s self-declared al-Muwasi humanitarian zone, where the army has instructed some 100,000 people in Rafah to relocate.
Israel has described Rafah as Hamas’ last significant stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat its fighters.
Hamas called on the international community to act quickly “to end the crime that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.” It also appealed to international agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to remain in Rafah and support the people there.
Israel’s war against Gaza has driven around 80 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused widespread destruction in numerous towns and cities.
Since October, the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 34,700 people, the majority of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel launched its attack on Gaza after Hamas fighters led an assault on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
