Bags packed but nowhere to go: Tensions run high in Rafah as Israel calls for evacuation
Palestinian civilians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are fleeing on foot, donkeys and cars after Israel’s military ordered an evacuation of the area. This has also raised fears that a full-blown military assault on the city is looming
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On 6 May, people in Rafah began packing up the little belongings they have after Israel’s military issued a call for residents there to “evacuate immediately.” Reuters
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip sit next to their belongings in the back of a truck following an evacuation order by the Israeli army. The Israeli military has told the people to leave for an "expanded humanitarian area" in al-Mawasi and Khan Younis, areas north and northwest of the city. AFP
The UN and US warn that an assault Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, could have catastrophic consequences. A senior Hamas official called the evacuation order a "dangerous escalation". AFP
Israel's move comes after the latest round of negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas appeared to remain stuck on key issues of concern. AFP
While some flee Rafah on donkey carts, others packed up their lives and began to rush out in their cars. Reuters
Palestinians hold leaflets dropped by Israeli planes calling on them to evacuate ahead of an Israeli military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. The order affects tens of thousands of people and could signal a broader invasion of Rafah, which Israel has identified as Hamas' last major stronghold after seven months of war. AP
International aid organisations have voiced alarm at the expected invasion of Rafah. Bushra Khalidi, advocacy director for Oxfam in the Palestinian territories, asked where displaced Palestinians will go "when most of their surroundings have been reduced to death and rubble?" Reuters
People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah. Reuters