Israel calls for Rafah evacuation ahead of possible offensive

TEL AVIV - The Israeli military has asked residents of eastern Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, to evacuate to an "expanded humanitarian area", ahead of a possible offensive, reported German news agency (dpa).

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it "encourages" the residents of Eastern Rafah to move to an expanded humanitarian area in the al-Mawasi refugee camp, on the Mediterranean not far from the border with Egypt.

"In accordance with the approval of the government, an ongoing situation assessment will guide the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas, to the humanitarian areas," the IDF said in a Telegram post.

The IDF characterised the evacuation as "temporary", adding that calls for the relocation would be "conveyed through posters, SMS messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in arabic". - BERNAMA