The IDF on Monday began the evacuation of around 100,000 Palestinian civilians in Rafah – out of over one million – as it moved toward a limited, initial invasion of the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the enclave.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant clarified that the invasion was being rolled out incrementally and in multiple stages so that if Hamas at some point agreed to a reasonable hostage exchange deal that was accepted by Israel, it could be halted.The military said that civilians in parts of eastern Rafah were told to evacuate to new, expanded humanitarian zones, which included al-Mawasi on the coast and parts of Khan Yunis slightly to the north, areas that are still in southern
Gaza but that stretch as far northward as central Gaza. No one will be allowed to evacuate to northern Gaza.
Hamas is said to have between 4,000 and 8,000 fighters left, including at least four battalions in Rafah, out of the around 35,000 terrorists that it had prior to the war starting on October 7.
Although the army’s land invasion of Rafah has not yet begun, the IDF’s chief spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Daniel Hagari, said on Monday that the air force struck around 50 targets there to pave the way for a ground attack.Hagari did not commit to slowing the Rafah operation, despite Hamas saying it had accepted a joint Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal.Israel’s initial response was that this was not the agreed-upon deal and that it needed to review the proposal.
New humanitarian zones
The new humanitarian zone includes field hospitals, tents, and increased provisions of food, water, medicine, and other supplies.In April, Israel acquired 40,000 tents for a larger humanitarian intake zone ahead of the expected Rafah operation.Additionally, the IDF is working in cooperation with international organizations and several countries to allow an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.Following cabinet approval, the IDF called on the population to evacuate through leaflets, text messages, phone calls, and statements in Arabic.Shortly after the announcement, Palestinian media reported that the IDF began dropping leaflets over Rafah informing civilians of the evacuation. The leaflets warned that Gaza City is still off-limits, considered to be a “dangerous combat zone,” and that it is “forbidden to approach the eastern and southern security fences.”The leaflets, published by the IDF as well, noted that the military would act with “extreme force” against terrorist organizations in the areas under the evacuation order. “Anyone who is near terrorist organizations puts his life and the life of his family at risk,” the leaflets warned.Witnesses on the ground said on Monday morning that some families had begun evacuating.The General Authority for Crossings and Borders in Gaza said that the Rafah Border Crossing was still operating as usual, countering some reports by Arabic media that the crossing was closed.By Monday afternoon, Palestinian media reported Israeli airstrikes in eastern Rafah.The cabinet decided on the evacuation on Sunday night, with Gallant informing US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the decision overnight.During the discussion, Gallant also informed Austin about the rocket barrage fired at Kerem Shalom. The defense minister detailed the efforts the government made toward trying to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, insisting that, at this stage, Hamas was refusing all proposals.Gallant stressed during the conversation that “there was no choice left, and this meant the start of the Israeli operation in Rafah.”The defense minister also thanked Austin for the close cooperation between Israel and the US.A readout of the call published by the US Department of Defense overnight said that the two discussed the ongoing hostage negotiations, humanitarian aid efforts, and Rafah. Austin expressed his condolences for the soldiers killed in the rocket attack on Kerem Shalom and reaffirmed his commitment to the unconditional return of all the hostages.Austin held that any potential military operation in Rafah needed to include a “credible plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid.”The decision to move forward with the evacuation after a three-month standoff came after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom area on Sunday, killing four soldiers and wounding ten others.The area currently under evacuation includes the spot where the rockets were fired from. The military named the fourth soldier killed on Monday as Sgt. Michael Ruzal.Aid transfers through the crossing, which is the main entry point for aid to Gaza, although there are several others, were halted shortly after the attack.Egypt raised its military preparedness in northern Sinai, which borders Gaza, after Israel’s actions regarding an operation in Rafah began.Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhuri said, “This is a dangerous escalation that will have consequences. The US administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism.”Palestinian resident Abu Mehey, sheltering with his family near Rafah, stated, “They (the Israeli military) are calling people in the eastern area of Rafah, some also in the west near the Rafah crossing, ordering them to leave... We don’t know what to do, but I will take my family to Deir el-Balah, though I am not in the targeted area... not yet.”IDF spokesman Maj. Nadav Shoshani said the military began a “limited scope operation to temporarily evacuate residents in the eastern part of Rafah. This is not a wide-scale evacuation of Rafah, this is a limited-scope operation in the area of eastern Rafah, as you can see in the maps we put out.”Meanwhile, early Monday, the IDF said it had struck two Hezbollah targets deep inside Lebanon, later attacking around 20 Hezbollah buildings and targets in Southern Lebanon.Hezbollah launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel on Monday, with the IDF confirming that the terrorist group hit Metulla. At least two Israelis were wounded in the attacks.In addition, the IDF said that militias in Syria had fired on Ramot Magshimim overnight between Sunday and Monday, with the IDF responding to the sources of the attacks with tank fire.It was unclear whether the IDF and Hezbollah were headed to another series of escalations or whether the sides would both step back after multiple days of increased intensive fire by both sides.The IDF also announced on Monday that it has now arrested over 4,000 terrorists in the West Bank since the start of the war.
Reuters contributed to this report.