IDF says evacuation of eastern Rafah is a 'limited scope operation' but questions remain
The evacuation of parts of eastern Rafah is a "limited scope operation," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said in a briefing this morning.
Referencing a map outlining the areas Palestinians have been urged to evacuate, he said the development did not represent a "wide-scale evacuation." Israel has also described the evacuation as "temporary."
He further noted that Israel had expanded the "humanitarian area" in which people can seek refuge in Al-Mawasi, saying that effort included "field hospitals, tents, increased quantities of food, water, medicines and additional supplies." Shoshani said the amount of aid entering Gaza would also not change in the coming days.
But it is not clear how or when those being urged to flee Rafah would be able to return to the city, which many have only made their home after being displaced from elsewhere in the enclave. And many Gazans will fear that this could be just the beginning of a broader effort to clear civilians from a city that Israel has long been signaling it plans to assault with troops on the ground.
Rafah assault would be 'devastating for 1.4 million people,’ UNRWA says
An assault on Rafah by Israeli forces would be "devastating for 1.4 million people," UNRWA has warned.
The United Nations' aid agency for Palestinians said in a post on X that an offensive in the southern city, where more than half of Gaza's population has sought shelter amid the war, would "mean more civilian suffering & deaths."
UNRWA said that its team in Rafah would not be evacuating the area and that the agency would maintain a presence in the city "as long as possible & will continue providing lifesaving aid to people."
Israel tells U.S. it has ‘no alternative’ to Rafah military action
Israel's defense minister told his U.S. counterpart in their exchange yesterday that his country had been left with "no alternative" but to launch an operation in Rafah.
Yoav Gallant said that Hamas was refusing any offer that would allow a deal for a cease-fire and release of hostages who remain held in Gaza, according to a readout from his office. As a result, he said, military action in Rafah was required given "the lack of an alternative."
It comes after the latest round of cease-fire talks appear to have stalled.
Lloyd Austin stressed the need for any military operation in Rafah to include a plan to evacuate civilians and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid, according to a readout of the conversation provided by the Pentagon.
No firm timeline for Rafah ground attack, Israeli official says
TEL AVIV — No firm timeline has been set for when Israeli ground troops will enter Rafah, an Israeli official has told NBC News.
The timing will depend on when the government gives the IDF the order to move in and on how long it takes for civilians in eastern Rafah to evacuate, the official said.
The U.S. and its allies have repeatedly urged Israel's government against a ground assault on the southern city, where more than half of Gaza's civilian population is thought to be sheltering.
But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his troops will enter Rafah to target Hamas leaders, whether before or after a new truce deal.
IDF drops leaflets over eastern Rafah urging people to evacuate
The IDF has dropped leaflets over eastern Rafah urging Palestinians to evacuate the area to Al-Mawasi, several miles north of the encampment where hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter.
In leaflets seen by NBC News' crew on the ground, people in parts of Al-Shouka, Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tabbah Ziraa, and Al-Byouk were warned to "evacuate immediately to the expanded humanitarian area of Al-Mawasi."
They also urged Palestinians to avoid trying to return north of the Wadi Gaza, saying Gaza City is "still a dangerous combat zone."
In separate flyers, the IDF outlined where humanitarian services would be expanded in Al-Mawasi area.
Around 100,000 people told to evacuate eastern Rafah, IDF spokesman says
TEL AVIV — The number of people being told to move from eastern Rafah into what Israel says is an expanded humanitarian area is estimated to be around 100,000, an IDF spokesman said.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani would not say in a media briefing how long civilians have to evacuate under this morning’s evacuation order.
He also would not go into detail about how the operation will impact the Rafah crossing but said the IDF is committed to maintaining the flow of aid into Gaza. He said the humanitarian zone would be “safer” for civilians but that the IDF reserved the right to strike against Hamas inside the zone.
IDF instructs people in eastern Rafah to move to humanitarian zone
Israeli forces today began instructing people in eastern portions of Rafah to move into a humanitarian zone, potentially signaling preparations for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city.
The call for Palestinians to move was confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces, which included a map of the humanitarian area. "Calls to temporarily move to the humanitarian area will be conveyed through posters, SMS messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic," the IDF said in a statement.
A possible ground offensive in Rafah has been widely condemned internationally, with United Nations officials warning that it would increase the civilian death toll and worsen the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
The move also comes despite President Joe Biden repeatedly stating U.S. opposition to an invasion of Rafah, where the population has swelled to an estimated 1.4 million people following Israel’s offensive in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel and the taking of hostages Oct. 7.
The Biden administration has threatened consequences for Israel should it move forward with a military assault without a credible plan to safeguard civilians in Rafah, which had a prewar population of around 250,000.
Austin reiterates need for civilian protections in Rafah
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin yesterday stressed the need for any Israeli military operation in Rafah to include a plan to evacuate civilians and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid.
He made the remarks while speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to a readout of the conversation provided by Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. During the discussion, Austin reiterated the U.S. commitment to supporting Israel's defense, and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the return of all hostages taken by Hamas militants.
CIA director may travel to Israel for more cease-fire and hostage negotiations
CIA Director William Burns may travel to Israel for more cease-fire and hostage release talks after holding discussions yesterday in the Qatari capital, Doha, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.
Burns, whose schedule remained fluid amid uncertainty over the outcome of the talks, has emerged as a key figure in the negotiations. The CIA director had previously been in Cairo, where Hamas stated that cease-fire discussions concluded yesterday following “in-depth and serious discussions.”
The militant group reiterated key demands that Israel again rejected. After earlier signs of progress, the outlook appeared to dim as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to resist international pressure to halt the war.