Before the planned attack on the Gaza City of Rafah on Monday, May 6 (17), the Israeli army ordered the residents of the eastern part of the city to evacuate to what the army calls a large humanitarian area and Khan. Yunus is included.

A spokesperson of the Israeli army wrote in Arabic on social networks that the Israeli army will take decisive action against the terrorist organizations in Rafah and anyone who remains in the area will risk their lives.

Israel is preparing for a “limited operation” in Rafah, an army spokesman said, and an estimated 100,000 people have been asked to leave the area.

Israel had previously issued such a warning during the operation to destroy the armed group of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Many Rafah residents sought refuge in the city after Israel warned them to leave the rest of Gaza.

A map released by Israel shows the humanitarian zone west of Khan Yunis on the Gaza coast. According to Monday’s announcement, the area has been expanded north and east along the coast to include Khan Yunis.

Israel has said that an attack on Rafah is necessary to defeat Hamas, while the United States, the United Nations and others have warned that a large-scale Israeli operation in the area, where more than half of Gaza’s population has taken refuge, would likely result. Create a human disaster.

Reuters quoted a senior Hamas official as saying that the order to withdraw from Rafah “is an escalation of the conflict and will have dangerous consequences.”

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Aston clarified the issue in a telephone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yolf Galant on Sunday.

A Pentagon statement said Aston “reiterated his commitment to the unconditional release of all hostages and that any potential Israeli military operation in Rafah should include the safe evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid.” “Continued.”

Israel’s Ministry of Defense said that Gallant stressed to Aston that military action in Rafah is necessary and there is no other alternative.

The UN aid agency for Palestine said on social media on Monday that Israel’s operation in Rafah would cause “civilian disaster and casualties” and have “catastrophic” consequences for more than a million people.

The UN agency said it will “maintain its presence in Rafah as long as possible and continue to provide life-saving assistance to the people.”

On the other hand, the efforts of the negotiators in Gaza are continuing with the aim of temporarily ending the conflict and releasing the hostages held by Hamas.

Ceasefire efforts

On Sunday, there was no significant progress in the talks between the Qatari and Egyptian mediators. It has been decided that a delegation of Hamas will arrive in Cairo today for these talks.

Earlier, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the group wanted a comprehensive ceasefire that would end Israel’s “aggression”, guarantee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and that Hamas would release hundreds of prisoners from Israeli prisons. The Palestinians released about 100 hostages in exchange for their release.

In a statement, Haniyeh accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “continuing aggression and widening the circle of conflict, and sabotaging peace talks.”

In Jerusalem, Netanyahu rejected an end to the war that would leave Hamas in control of Gaza and pose a continuing threat to Israel.

Egyptian sources said that William Burns, the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency, who participated in the previous ceasefire talks, arrived in Cairo on Friday. The United States, which, like other Western powers and Israel, considers Hamas a terrorist group, urged Hamas to reach an agreement.

Israeli media said that Burns will meet with Netanyahu on Monday.

The war in Gaza began on October 7 after an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants in Israel, in which, according to Israeli officials, about 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage. About 100 hostages were released during a one-week temporary ceasefire in late November.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 34,600 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory operations in Gaza.