Israeli warplanes pounded targets in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Monday as the military told about 110,000 people sheltering there to evacuate.
Many people began to leave, fearing that Israel was moving ahead with its long-planned invasion of Rafah, despite stiff international pressure.
A military spokesman would not say when troops might enter the crowded city, but described the evacuation as part of Israel’s plans to dismantle Hamas and to free hostages taken on Oct. 7.
Hours after the evacuation order, the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, issued a statement that the group had accepted a new cease-fire proposal from Qatar and Egypt, which have acted as intermediaries in peace talks.
The group and Israeli officials said it was not referring to the proposal that Israel recently agreed to, leaving the conflict unresolved.
Persons:
Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, “, Ismail Haniyeh
Organizations:
Hamas
Locations:
Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Egypt, Israel