Israel said readying to evacuate Palestinians from Rafah ahead of planned offensive

The Israel Defense Forces is readying to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Gaza’s southernmost city in Rafah ahead of its planned offensive there against Hamas, according to a report Monday. Citing Israeli and Egyptian officials, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Israeli plans envision that the first two to three weeks of the operation will consist of evacuating civilians, in coordination with the US, Egypt and other Arab countries. The evacuation will reportedly involve moving civilians to the nearby city of Khan Younis, among other areas in Gaza, where Israel will set up shelters with tents, food and medical facilities. After that, the officials said the IDF will gradually move troops into Rafah and target areas where it believes Hamas leaders and operatives are hiding. Israel has said Rafah, where Hamas’s four intact battalions are deployed, remains the terror group’s last major stronghold in the Strip after the IDF operated in the north and center of the Palestinian enclave. It also believes that many of the remaining 129 hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led October 7 atrocities are being held in Rafah. Israel says it will only launch the invasion after it evacuates the civilians in the city, ensures that they’ll be able to continue receiving humanitarian aid upon relocation and coordinates with Egypt, which borders Rafah and has expressed significant alarm over a potential operation.