RAFAH - Palestinian civilians in the southern Gazan city of Rafah voiced despair yesterday as Israel dropped fliers urging them to evacuate for their own “safety” ahead of a “limited” military operation. Israel’s army said it was instructing Palestinian families in eastern Rafah to flee in preparation for an expected ground assault on the city which abuts Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Residents of Rafah described emerging outside after a terrifying night in which around a dozen air strikes were carried out on Rafah, to find fliers falling from the sky telling them to “evacuate immediately”. “The army is working with intensive power against the terrorist forces near you,” read a flier circulated in eastern Rafah.

“For your safety, the IDF (Israeli military) tells you to evacuate immediately towards the expanded humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi,” it said, with a map indicating the location to the north of Rafah.

Osama Al-Kahlout of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza told AFP that the areas designated for evacuation currently shelter some 250 000 people, many of whom have already been displaced from other areas in the Gaza Strip. “The evacuation process has begun on the ground, but in a limited manner,” he said.

An Israeli military spokesman, when asked how many people should move, said: “The estimate is around 100 000 people.” 

About 1.2 million people are currently sheltering in Rafah, according to the World Health Organisation, most having fled there during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas Palestinian militants. Amid pouring rain, some of those sheltering in Rafah said they had begun packing up their things from the densely-packed tents, and preparing to leave even before Israel’s directive arrived.

“Whatever happens, my tent is ready,” a resident told AFP. But others said the area they were being told to flee to was already overcrowded, and they did not trust that it would be safe. 

- Nampa/AFP