The Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on the southern Gazan city, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
Hamas warned that the IDF’s evacuation of civilians from eastern Rafah was a dangerous escalation that could scuttle the already strained hostage talks.
“The US administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism,” the official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters, referring to Israel’s alliance with Washington.
He warned that it was a “dangerous escalation that will have consequences.”
The Hamas group attacked Kerem Shalom on May 5, targeting IDF soldiers. IDF Sgt. Michael Ruzal, 18, was killed in the Hamas rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom area on Sunday, the fourth soldier killed in the attack, the IDF said Monday.
Hamas put out a statement claiming it attacked with 114mm rockets.
Hamas is, therefore, very aware of an attempt to provoke an Israeli response.
Hamas is aware that Israel has withdrawn from most of Gaza and that Hamas has achieved many of its war aims, basically getting an Israeli withdrawal from most areas and a kind of de facto ceasefire in some areas.