The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that it had issued a wide-scale evacuation directive for Palestinians living in Rafah, located in southern Gaza. The military stated it was “returning to fight with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terror organizations in these areas.”
On social media platform X, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee posted a map showing the evacuation zones and urged civilians to relocate to al-Mawasi, a coastal area in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
This marked the largest evacuation call made by Israel since combat operations resumed against Hamas earlier this month, ending a lull in the fighting that lasted two months.
The evacuation order spans a broad region stretching between Rafah and Khan Younis, where Israeli ground troops had not yet conducted major operations.
The directive came as Muslims in Gaza observed Eid al-Fitr, the holiday celebrating the conclusion of Ramadan, typically a time of joy and celebration.
Following the resumption of military action on March 18, the IDF said its efforts have centered on striking senior Hamas political figures, military mid-level commanders, and vital infrastructure, such as weapons storage sites and rocket-launching systems. The campaign has also targeted operatives from Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other extremist factions.
On Saturday, the military confirmed it had intensified its activities in southern Gaza, with Israeli forces advancing into Rafah. The move is part of a broader strategy to widen the buffer zone near the Gaza border and dismantle militant infrastructure.
In a separate incident, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported on Sunday that it had retrieved the remains of 15 emergency workers who were killed the previous week when Israeli strikes hit ambulances in the Strip.
The IDF admitted on Friday that it had mistakenly fired at ambulances and fire trucks in southern Gaza, saying those vehicles had initially been viewed as “suspicious.”
Military officials explained that the strikes began after troops engaged what they believed were Hamas vehicles in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of multiple Hamas fighters.
“A few minutes afterward, additional vehicles advanced suspiciously toward the troops… The troops responded by firing toward the suspicious vehicles, eliminating a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists,” the IDF said.
Following a preliminary investigation, the army said that “some of the suspicious vehicles… were ambulances and fire trucks,” and denounced “the repeated use” by “terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip of ambulances for terrorist purposes.”
According to the Red Crescent, the dead included eight of its own paramedics, six members of Gaza’s civil defense force, and one UN staffer.
The organization noted that one Red Crescent medic was still unaccounted for.
In a prior statement, the Red Crescent said recovery efforts were complicated, with the victims’ bodies partially buried in sand and showing signs of decay.
Gaza’s civil defense body confirmed the retrieval of 15 individuals, specifying that the UN worker was employed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which supports Palestinian refugees.
Separately, in Geneva, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issued a strong condemnation over the deaths of the emergency responders.
“They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned [to] their families; they did not,” IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain said.
“International Humanitarian Law could not be clearer — civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected.”
The IFRC called the incident the deadliest single attack on Red Cross and Red Crescent personnel globally since 2017.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was “appalled” by the loss of life among medics who were performing their duties when they were killed.
“Their bodies were identified today and have been recovered for dignified burial,” the ICRC said. “The high number of medical personnel killed during this conflict is devastating. The ICRC strongly condemns attacks on health care workers.”
Elsewhere, the IDF announced on Monday that it had destroyed a tunnel approximately one kilometer long in the northern part of Gaza as part of its continuing ground operations.
{Matzav.com Israel}

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