Israel warns Rafah residents to evacuate as military steps up offensive

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday warned residents of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, and nearby towns to immediately evacuate their homes and move to the Al Mawasi camp in a designated humanitarian zone.

The IDF Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee said the military "is returning to fighting with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organizations in these areas."

The Israeli news website Maariv assessed that this move represents additional pressure on Hamas amid reports of significant gaps in negotiations for a possible ceasefire-hostage deal.

According to Israeli media reports, Hamas has agreed to release five live hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, but Israel is demanding the release of 11 live hostages, along with the return of half of the bodies of deceased hostages.

Israeli forces carried out air and ground strikes across Gaza on Monday, killing dozens of Palestinians, including children, as residents marked the second day of Eid al-Fitr, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Israeli military resumed its offensive on March 18, effectively ending a ceasefire with Hamas that had been in place since January 19.

Since then, more than 900 Palestinians have been killed and over 2,000 wounded. The conflict, which began in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of at least 50,277 Palestinians and over 114,095 injuries, according to Gaza health authorities.