Israel Gears Up For Rafah Offensive As Talks With Hamas Collapse, 1 Lakh People Being Evacuated

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) The Israeli military on Monday announced the evacuation of approximately 100,000 individuals from eastern Rafah in anticipation of an imminent ground assault in Gaza's southern city. "The estimate is around 100,000 people," stated a military spokesperson when questioned about the evacuation numbers.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.2 million people are seeking shelter in Rafah at the moment; the majority of them fled from other parts of Gaza during the seven-month conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists from Hamas.

The Israeli military spokesperson stated the evacuation, "is part of our plans to dismantle Hamas ... we had a violent reminder of their presence and their operational abilities in Rafah yesterday."

"This is an evacuation plan to get people out of harm's way."

According to the army, three Israeli soldiers were killed and a dozen others wounded on Sunday in an attack at the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza. The assault involved a barrage of rockets fired from an area near Rafah.

The soldiers were struck while safeguarding heavy machinery, tanks, and bulldozers deployed in the vicinity.

On Monday, amid rainfall, the army conducted an airdrop of leaflets to inform residents about the evacuation, as reported by an AFP correspondent.

The missile strike was claimed by the armed wing of Hamas, prompting Israeli authorities to shut down the crossing that was being used to transport aid into Gaza.

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