Evacuation of civilians from Rafah to unsafe areas unacceptable, EU warns Israel

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) – EU Council President Charles Michel said on Saturday that the evacuation of civilians trapped in Rafah to unsafe areas is unacceptable.

"Evacuation orders for civilians trapped in Rafah to unsafe zones are unacceptable," said Charles Michel on X.

Michel also called on Israel to "respect international humanitarian law" and refrain from launching a ground attack on Rafah.

"Crossing points must be fully functioning and allow essential humanitarian assistance to get through amidst raging famine," he added.

Michel stressed the need to continue efforts for a "lasting cease-fire" and reiterated the EU's commitment to a "two-state solution" for achieving "just and comprehensive peace" in the region.

"The establishment of a viable State of Palestine is key in this respect, side by side in peace and security with Israel as reflected in UN resolution," he concluded.

Thousands of Palestinians fled from the center of Rafah city in southern Gaza to western areas of the Strip on Saturday hours after the Israeli army warned residents to evacuate the area in preparation for expanding military operations in the city, according to eyewitnesses.

Earlier in the day, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said about 150,000 Palestinians have so far fled Rafah where an Israeli invasion is underway despite international outrage and warnings of a humanitarian crisis.

“Everywhere you look now in west Rafah this morning, families are packing up. Streets are significantly emptier,” Louise Wateridge, a UNRWA spokeswoman, said on X.

Despite escalating international warnings against expanding military operations in Rafah, the Israeli army ordered the immediate evacuation of residents from neighborhoods in the city's heart on Saturday morning, apparently expanding its operations that began on Monday east of town.

In a statement, it also warned residents and displaced people from large areas in the north of Gaza to evacuate and seek refuge west of the city.

The Israeli army is attempting to gather displaced Palestinians from Rafah in the Mawasi area, which stretches 12 kilometers and is 1 kilometer deep from Deir al-Balah in the north, passing through Khan Younis Governorate in the south, and ending at the outskirts of Rafah in the far south of the Strip.

The area is largely open and not residential, lacking infrastructure, sewage systems, electricity lines, telecommunication networks, and the internet, with most of its land divided into agricultural greenhouses or sandy areas.