The Rafah plan has opened an unusually public rift between Israel and Washington, which has repeatedly warned its ally not to attack the city because of potential civilian casualties.
An Israeli broadcaster, Army Radio, said the evacuations were focused on a few peripheral districts of Rafah, from which people would be directed to tent cities in nearby Khan Younis and Al Muwassi.
In an overnight aerial attack on Rafah, Israeli planes hit 10 houses, killing 20 people and wounding several, medical officials said. The Israeli military said it had attacked the site of Sunday’s mortar launch that killed the four Israeli soldiers as well as a group of gunmen.
“Our just war in Gaza continues with the exact same goals: the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Monday on X.
The war began after Hamas stunned Israel with a cross-border raid on Oct 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 252 hostages taken, according to Israeli tallies.
More than 34,700 Palestinians have been killed and more than 78,000 have been wounded in Israel’s assault, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The United Nations has accused Israel of denying aid to Gazans, with World Food Programme head Cindy McCain saying in a weekend interview that there was already “full-blown famine” in the north of the territory.
