Israel has issued new evacuation orders in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, forcing tens of thousands of people to move as it prepares to expand its military operation.
With Saturday’s orders, Israeli forces have now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, advancing to the limits of the densely populated central area.
The orders come in the face of international opposition and criticism. President Joe Biden has already said that the United States will not supply offensive weapons to Israel due to its Rafah offensive.
The United Nations and other agencies have warned for weeks that an Israeli attack on Rafah, which borders Egypt and near the main aid entry point, would paralyze humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous rise in civilian casualties.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah after fleeing Israeli military bombardment elsewhere in the enclave. Considered the last refuge in the Gaza Strip, evacuations are forcing people to return north to areas devastated by previous attacks.
People have already been displaced several times and there are few places left in the embattled area to move to. Those who fled the fighting earlier this week have set up new camps in the city of Khan Younis, which was partially destroyed in a previous Israeli offensive, and in the central city of Deir el-Balah, straining infrastructure.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
