Rafah Invasion Shows Israeli Intent To Continue 'Genocide' Against Palestinians: Hamas

Israeli plans to invade Rafah city show Tel Aviv's intent to continue its "genocide" against the Palestinians, Hamas said on Monday.

The Israeli army issued immediate evacuation orders on Monday for Palestinians in the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah and called on them to move to the town of al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.

Around 100,000 Palestinian civilians are estimated to be living in the areas to be evacuated, according to Israeli Army Radio.

"The steps taken by the terrorist occupation army in preparation for the attack on Rafah…confirms the insistence of the [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu government to continue its genocide against our people," Hamas said in a statement.

It added that any Israeli military operation in Rafah "will not be a picnic."

"The Palestinian resistance is fully prepared to defend its people, defeat the enemy, abort its plans, and thwart its goals," Hamas added.

Rafah is home to more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians, who have taken refuge from the war launched by Israel following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 that killed nearly 1,200 people.

Since then, the Israeli onslaught has killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, besides causing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there. -