On Monday morning, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an unprecedented evacuation order to residents of Rafah, in southern Gaza, an area that accounts for roughly one-fifth of the entire Strip.
According to reports from within Gaza, large numbers of civilians have begun evacuating neighborhoods identified in the warning, moving toward the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in accordance with IDF guidance.
حركة نزوح كبيرة للأهالي من مدينة رفح بعد إصدار جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي أوامر إخلاء للسكان في المحافظة جنوبي قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/yXuaZPIeHE
— الحرب العالمية الثالثة (@WWIIIAR) March 31, 2025
Six Injured in Drone Strike
In parallel with the evacuation, Al Jazeera reported that six people were injured by fire from an Israeli drone strike in central Rafah, as the IDF escalated its operations in southern Gaza.
In his message to residents, Adraee wrote: “The IDF has resumed high-intensity fighting in these areas to eliminate terrorist infrastructure. For your safety, you must immediately evacuate to Al-Mawasi.”
Expanded Ground Operations in Southern Gaza
Over the weekend, the IDF expanded its ground operations in the southern Gaza Strip, with a focus on the Al-Janina neighborhood in Rafah.
IDF forces struck dozens of Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets, including weapons depots, rocket launchers, military buildings, and other terror infrastructure. According to the IDF, several militants were eliminated, some of whom had recently launched mortar attacks toward Israel.
