STORY: :: Some Palestinians flee parts of Rafah after Israel 'encourages' evacuation
:: May 6, 2024
:: Israel's military instructed people to head for an expanded 'humanitarian area'
:: The move appears to be preparation for a long-threatened assault
Israel's military said on Monday it had begun encouraging residents of Rafah to evacuate the southern Gazan city as part of a 'limited scope' operation, but did not immediately confirm media reports this was part of preparation for a ground assault.
Seven months into its offensive against Hamas, Israel has said Rafah harbors thousands of the Palestinian Islamist group's fighters and that victory is impossible without taking the city.
But with more than a million displaced Palestinians sheltering there, the prospect of a high-casualty operation worries Western powers and neighboring Egypt.
