Israel orders Rafah evacuation as Gaza truce talks stall
Al JazeeraThe Israeli army appears set to launch its long-threatened assault on Rafah as it instructs Palestinians to leave parts of the city in southern Gaza. Israeli forces called on Monday for people in Rafah, into which huge numbers of displaced Palestinians were previously pushed, to evacuate to “an expanded humanitarian area”. The Israeli military said in social media posts that it “encourages” residents in eastern Rafah to move to an area in al-Mawasi refugee camp, located by the Mediterranean west of Khan Younis. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people@UNRWA is not evacuating: the Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible & will continue providing lifesaving aid to people pic.twitter.com/8anQ8Eq6Gv — UNRWA May 6, 2024 The evacuation order followed a night of intense Israeli bombardment that killed 22 people, including eight children, in the city. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah, said there had been “a great sense of optimism” in the last couple of days among Palestinians regarding negotiations in Cairo between Hamas and Israel.