The Israeli military on Monday ordered sweeping evacuations in Rafah, signaling a looming large-scale ground operation in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip.
The orders, issued during Eid al-Fitr, directed Palestinians to move to Muwasi, a coastal area of overcrowded, makeshift tent camps.
The latest evacuation decree follows Israel’s renewed offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza after a cease-fire collapsed earlier this month.
In early March, Israel imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza, cutting off food, fuel, and medical supplies for the enclave’s 2 million residents in an attempt to force Hamas into accepting changes to the truce agreement.
Israel has already launched a major military operation in Rafah, bordering Egypt, leaving vast areas in ruins.
In May, the Israeli army seized control of the strategic corridor along the Egyptian border and took over the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only non-Israeli-controlled route to the outside world.
Despite international pressure, Israel refused to withdraw from the corridor, citing the need to prevent weapons smuggling.
Now, with 59 hostages – 24 of whom are believed to be alive – still held by Hamas, Israeli leaders have vowed to intensify their operations until their release.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed Sunday that Israel would oversee Gaza’s security after the war and push for “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians under a proposal endorsed by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Palestinians and human rights organizations denounce the plan as a forced expulsion and a likely violation of international law.
Meanwhile, Hamas insists on enforcing the terms of the previous cease-fire, which included a phased hostage release in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal.
Negotiations on those conditions, scheduled to begin in February, remain stalled.
The latest conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, following Hamas' incursion on southern Israel, attacking military bases and civilian areas, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
Since then, Israel's genocidal airstrikes and ground operations have devastated Gaza, with the local health ministry reporting over 50,000 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children.
The humanitarian toll is staggering, with 90% of Gaza’s population displaced and large swaths of the enclave reduced to rubble.
For the second consecutive year, Eid al-Fitr in Gaza was marked by grief rather than celebration.
Bombings continued through the holiday, with at least eight people – including five children – killed in a pre-dawn Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, according to rescue teams.
“Eid, once a time for joy, is now a day of farewells and funerals,” said Nahla Abu Matar, a 28-year-old mother displaced from northern Gaza. “The mosques we prayed in are gone. The streets we gathered in are rubble.”
At dawn, Gazans unrolled prayer mats on debris-covered streets, praying amid ruins and makeshift refugee tents.
In the Nuseirat camp, mourners visited cemeteries as the sounds of artillery and drones echoed above them.
In Gaza City, resident Ezzedine Mousa described the atmosphere of dread. “People are afraid to visit each other because a rocket could strike at any moment,” he said. “Our children’s eyes reflect their fear, but we try to keep them happy with whatever little we have.”
Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18 after a fragile truce collapsed. Since then, over 900 people have died across Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
“How much longer?” pleaded Mohamed al-Qadi, who lost his sister and nephew in Sunday’s strike. “The world celebrates Eid while we bury our dead.”
