With the Rafah attack imminent, thousands of people settled in Gaza's southernmost city are evacuating after the Israeli military told residents and displaced people to leave ahead of the major strike.
Amid the rising tensions in Rafah, several people pack their belongings and leave the city on foot, riding donkeys and in trucks.
"The Israeli occupation told people to go to Rafah and that it is a safe area. Today, they're telling us to get out of Rafah. Where will the people go? Should they go to the sea? Where will people go after they told us that this is a safe area," Abu Ahmed, a refugee in Rafah, was quoted by BBC.
While another displaced Palestinian said that the bombardments in the area have been keeping the whole family awake. “We woke up to the call to evacuate Rafah. I call on the whole Arab world to interfere in a ceasefire...We are tired,” she said.
Through multiple channels, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had urged the residents settled in Rafah to head to an “expanded humanitarian zone” on the coast ahead of the wide-scale operations in Rafah. The IDF said the evacuees will be directed to tent cities in nearby Khan Younis and al-Mawasi.
Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz said that the war in Gaza "continues with the same goals: the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas".
"Israel has agreed to significant concessions to bring the hostages home, but Hamas has repeatedly refused," Katz wrote on X.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that "surrendering" to a Hamas demand to end the war would amount to defeat. While Ismail Haniyeh accused Netanyahu of sabotaging the talks.
In a televised address on Sunday, Netanyahu rejected Hamas's demands for a definitive end to the Gaza war. He added that any permanent ceasefire would allow the Islamist organisation to remain in power and pose a continuing threat to Israel.
Netanyahu has vowed that Israel would launch an invasion of the southern Gaza city irrespective of the truce deal talks with Hamas. "The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question," he said.
The death toll in Gaza from the Israeli military offensive has crossed over 34,500 since the February 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Meanwhile, an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah reportedly killed at least 12 people.
