Palestinians evacuate eastern Rafah ahead of expected Israeli assault
Al Jazeera
Israel’s military ordered the evacuation of Palestinians from eastern Rafah ahead of a ground invasion of the city.
Israel’s military has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to evacuate, signalling that a long-expected ground invasion could be imminent.
The evacuation order comes as indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas appeared to stall amid intense disagreements between the warring sides.
The United States and Qatar, which have been mediating the talks along with Egypt, were expected to hold discussions on Monday in Doha, but state-linked media in Egypt said the ceasefire talks had stalled after a rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send ground forces into Rafah to attack Hamas fighters regardless of any truce, despite key ally the US, other countries and aid groups raising concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the city.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has condemned the Israeli army’s “forced, unlawful” evacuation order in Rafah, saying that it could lead to “the deadliest phase of this conflict”.
