DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army issued widespread evacuation orders on Monday covering most of the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
Israel ended a ceasefire and resumed its aerial and ground war against the armed group Hamas earlier this month. At the same time, it cut off all humanitarian aid for the nearly 2 million Palestinians living in the enclave.
Why is Israel ordering the evacuation of Rafah?
The Israeli army launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, last May, which left much of the city in ruins.
The Israeli forces seized a strategic buffer zone along the border with Egypt and did not withdraw from it as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. Israel stated that it needed to maintain a presence there to prevent arms smuggling.
The Palestinians were ordered to head to Muwasi, an extensive area of makeshift tent camps along the coast. The orders were given during Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
Doctors killed by Israeli fire are buried.
Dozens of people gathered at the funeral of some of the 15 rescuers who died from Israeli fire during a ground operation in Rafah last week.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies described it as the deadliest attack against its doctors in several years. Raed al-Nems, spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, stated that the paramedics were “cold-bloodedly murdered” despite wearing uniforms and operating in clearly marked ambulances.
The Israeli army claimed that its forces opened fire on several vehicles that raised suspicions by advancing without headlights or emergency signals. The army indicated that a member of Hamas and eight other militants were among the deceased.
The United Nations humanitarian office said that among the dead were eight Red Crescent workers, six members of the Gaza Civil Defense, which operates under the Hamas-led government, and one UN worker.