Residents Flee Rafah After IDF Says 'Evacuate Immediately'

Gaza residents traveled to Israeli designated “humanitarian zones” in central Gaza on Monday, May 6, after leaflets were dropped by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) telling people in Rafah to “evacuate immediately.”

Footage filmed by Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Bassam shows a number of people in vehicles carrying luggage and belongings in Rafah.

Footage filmed by Bassam earlier on Monday showed large quantities of leaflets falling from the sky in Rafah. A man was filmed picking up a leaflet and showing it to the camera.

According to machine translation, the leaflet read: “The Israel Defense Forces will act with extreme force against the terrorist organizations in the areas where you live – as it has done so far. Anyone who is near terrorist organizations puts his life and the life of his family at risk. For your safety, the Israel Defense Forces calls on you to evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone.”

Further video filmed by Bassam showed Israeli strikes on the city on the same day.

The Times of Israel reported that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that there was “no choice left” but to launch an offensive in Rafah.

Hamas said any Israeli military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza will not be a “picnic,” according to Al Jazeera, adding it was “fully prepared” to defend Palestinians. Credit: Mahmoud Bassam via Storyful

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