IDF orders evacuation of eastern Rafah ahead of ‘return to fighting with great force’

The planned operation would mark the first military action in Rafah, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, since the agreement of the now-expired ceasefire in January, which was accompanied by a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip.

However, it is likely to provoke humanitarian concern after a number of international organisations condemned the first offensive in the city.

Rafah is particularly important in terms of the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza via the Rafah Crossing, which bridges the border with Egypt.

Israel has cut off aid deliveries at other entry points since the collapse of the ceasefire but last month, the Rafah Crossing reopened for the first time since May 2024.

Should Israel regain control of the crossing, though, it is expected to be closed off again, leaving Gaza entirely blockaded.

The IDF insists that Rafah is used as a key smuggling point for terrorists and weapons across the Egyptian border, citing this claim as the motivation for holding the crossing.

Similar evacuation orders have been issued for residents of Gaza City as Israel steps up its ground operations as part of its return to fighting.

It comes after Israeli ministers hinted that the IDF could begin annexing parts of Gaza and the West Bank if the remaining hostages held by Hamas are not returned soon. Prime Minister Netanyahu told the Knesset that the army would begin to “seize territory” exponentially, while Defence Minister Israel Katz suggested this land could become part of Israel.

Similarly, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened the expansion of Israeli kibbutzim into Gaza, while Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter told a meeting of the Yesha Council, which represents settler groups, that “the time has come to apply Israeli sovereignty” over the West Bank.