Israeli Military Warns Thousands in Rafah to Evacuate

“The Israeli military on Monday said it was asking tens of thousands of Gazans sheltering in eastern Rafah to temporarily evacuate to what it described as a humanitarian zone, a sign that Israel was inching closer to invading the city in defiance of international pressure,” the New York Times reports.

“By 9 a.m. local time, the military had begun dropping leaflets in eastern Rafah ordering people to evacuate. The Israeli military said it would also use text messages, phone calls and broadcasts in Arabic to warn residents of Rafah to leave.”

Wall Street Journal: “Israel says it needs to break up four remaining Hamas battalions located in Rafah, the one Gazan city that hasn’t been subject to a full-on Israeli ground invasion, to achieve its goal of destroying the group’s ability to attack Israel.”

Washington Post: Israel tells U.S. it has no “alternative” to military action in Rafah.