Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, on March 31, prompting tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee at a time when Muslims were celebrating Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The orders, affecting at least 1.4 lakh people according to Philippe Lazzarini of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), hinted at an impending major ground operation. Lazzarini described the situation as treating people “like pinballs”, with constant military directives upending their lives.
The evacuation covered Rafah and the areas between Rafah and Khan Younis. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, asked people to shift out of Al-Shawka, Al-Nasr and the neighbourhoods of Al-Salam, Al-Manara and Qizan an-Najjar. In a post on X, the IDF published a map of the area to be cleared, asking the residents to move to the al-Mawasi area on the southern Strip’s coast, which is crowded with squalid tent camps. Families fled north, some on foot with children in hand, others piling belongings onto donkeys or cars.
The latest evacuation orders followed intensified Israeli attacks in Rafah on March 29, with more troops deployed. In northern Gaza, the IDF claimed to have dismantled a Hamas tunnel and a rocket workshop, killing 50 "terrorists”. The last major escalation in Rafah, located close to the Egyptian border, took place last May and left the city in ruins. Israel seized the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s only non-Israeli-controlled external link, and a border corridor to curb weapons smuggling.
A ceasefire signed in January this year under American pressure required Israel to leave the corridor. However, it refused, citing security needs. Earlier last month, Israel ended a two-month truce with Hamas, resuming air and ground attacks. It cut off food, fuel, medicine and aid to Gaza’s two million residents in order to pressure Hamas into accepting new truce terms. Since March 18, the IDF has targeted Hamas leaders and infrastructure, expanding operations into Rafah and northern Gaza.
Israel has proposed a new ceasefire via mediators in Egypt and Qatar, demanding Hamas release 11 living hostages and 16 bodies in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. Fighting would pause for 40 days after the hostages’ release, with further talks planned. Israel also wants Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza. These are conditions that were not part of the original ceasefire deal and which Hamas rejects. Hamas insists on enforcing the January agreement, which promised a lasting ceasefire and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for all remaining hostages (59, with 24 believed to be alive). Talks, however, stalled after preliminary discussions in February.
The latest evacuation orders have drawn sharp criticism. The Palestinian presidency called them a violation of international law, warning of dire consequences and holding Israel accountable for rising tensions. The UN human rights office reacted in similar terms, holding Israel responsible for not providing proper conditions such as hygiene, health and safety for the displaced. Israel said that by ordering the evacuation, it was protecting civilians and accused Hamas of using them as human shields, which goes against international law. The IDF, meanwhile, admitted to mistakenly firing on ambulances and fire engines in southern Gaza last week, believing those were Hamas vehicles.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel’s post-truce attacks. Last week, 14 aid workers’ bodies—eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), five from civil defence and one from a UN agency—were found in a Rafah mass grave after Israeli attacks. One PRCS medic remains missing. Israel says it aims to limit civilian deaths, but critics, including the UN, argue that its actions fall short of humanitarian standards.