Israeli army orders new evacuations in Rafah as Gaza death toll surpasses 50,000

By Ahmed Asmar

The Israeli army on Monday issued fresh evacuation orders to Palestinians in multiple areas of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, deepening the humanitarian crisis as deadly attacks continue.

Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee directed residents in Rafah’s Al-Shawka, Al-Nasr, and the neighborhoods of Al-Salam, Al-Manara, and Qizan an-Najjar to evacuate, citing claims of targeting “terrorist organizations” in the area.

The evacuation orders come just days after Israel escalated its military operations in Rafah, deploying additional troops and intensifying assaults as part of a genocidal campaign against the Palestinian population.

Prior to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza beginning October 2023, Rafah had a pre-war population exceeding 300,000. During the initial months of the war, the city's population swelled as over one million displaced Palestinians who sought refuge there, only to be forcibly displaced again when Israel launched its ground offensive in May 2024.

The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing over 920 people, injuring more than 2,000 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 114,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.