Israel will evacuate civilians living in Rafah before attack: Official

Jerusalem: Israeli officials have said that their country is committed to attacking the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. He said that before attacking the city, most of the approximately 1.4 million Palestinians living there would be evacuated. Xinhua news agency quoted Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying that before attacking the city, the army will encourage civilians to take refuge in central Gaza.
He said that they would be provided with accommodation, food and water and other basic needs. However, Hagari did not give the date of evacuation of people from Rafah or the attack here. The international community and various humanitarian organizations have expressed concern over Israel’s planned attack on Rafah. They say that this will cause serious humanitarian disaster. On Wednesday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant visited the Gaza Strip and reviewed the situation there, his office said in a statement. Regarding the ground offensive in Rafah, Gallant said, things will be revealed soon. It is noteworthy that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that the army will definitely launch a ground attack on Rafah. Israel believes that some Hamas terrorists are hiding in underground tunnels here.