Israel’s military said on Monday it had begun encouraging residents of Rafah to evacuate the southern Gazan city as part of a ‘limited scope’ operation, but did not immediately confirm media reports this was part of preparation for a ground assault.
Seven months into its offensive against Hamas, Israel has said Rafah harbours thousands of the Palestinian Islamist group’s fighters and that victory is impossible without taking the city.
But with more than a million displaced Palestinians sheltering there, the prospect of a high-casualty operation worries Western powers and neighbouring Egypt.
In what appeared to be the beginning of a civilian evacuation ahead of a ground assault, the Israeli military called on Palestinians in eastern parts of Rafah to move to a nearby “humanitarian area”.
In a statement on Monday, the military said posters, text messages, phone calls and media announcements would be used to “encourage … the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas”.
to where‽ Probably right into a nearby mass grave, if you ask the IDF
The Mediterranean, presumably.
Why don’t they just ask the Hamas terrorists to go somewhere specific and then kill or capture them there, rather than asking the civilians to leave an area so only terrorists remain and then going in and doing the same?
Gotta warn someone though, right?
But seriously how do you lure the enemy away from a safe area?
Hamas not exactly in the business of following the requests of the Israeli military
