The IDF has announced that approximately 950,000 Palestinians have evacuated the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, as troops continue to operate in the eastern part of the city. According to reports, around 300,000 to 400,000 civilians remain in Rafah, primarily concentrated in the coastal area and parts of the city center.

Earlier this month, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for the eastern part of Rafah, which was home to over a million Palestinians before the military push. However, only around 150,000 Palestinians were in the designated evacuation zone, indicating that many civilians from other areas of Rafah, where the IDF has not yet operated, chose to evacuate on their own accord.

Currently, Palestinian civilians are largely gathered in the al-Mawasi area, designated by the IDF as a “humanitarian zone,” along the coastal strip, and in central Gaza, where ground forces have not yet operated. Additionally, a significant civilian population remains in the coastal part of Rafah and some areas of northern Gaza.

The IDF says that it drew valuable lessons from past experiences in evacuating the population in Rafah, which was carried out much faster than predicted by the United States. The swift evacuation has likely helped minimize civilian casualties and alleviate humanitarian concerns.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)