Israel orders Rafah evacuation amid operation reports

Israel has started moving residents out of Rafah, which suggests an upcoming attack on the Gaza city.

The Israeli military has said it was evacuating around 1,00,000 residents.

The Israeli forces have started pounding Rafah, killing at least 21 civilians, Al Jazeera reported. The victims included many children.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said: “We will act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your areas of residence.”

The spokesperson urged citizens of eastern Rafah to move to northward to an expanded humanitarian area near Khan Younis.

Over the past few month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that civilians in Rafah would be relocated prior to any possible attack.

Currently, Rafah city is home to approximately 1.4 million people, the majority of whom sought shelter there after the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October.