250,000 Palestinians Leave Rafah After IDF Partial Withdrawal

By Yoni Weiss

Since the IDF’s partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, around 250,000 Palestinians have departed from Rafah, migrating towards northern regions, particularly between Nuseirat and Khan Yunis, south of the Wadi Gaza line. This movement comes after Rafah housed 1.3 million Palestinians at the height of the war in Gaza.

Reports from Kan News suggest Israel’s endorsement of a proposed plan in Rafah, purportedly as part of a deal to abstain from a significant offensive against Iran. However, officials from the Biden administration have denied any knowledge or discussion of such an agreement between Israel and the United States.

In response to the population shift, Israel has unveiled plans to set up 10,000 tents outside Rafah within the next fortnight, with an additional 30,000 tents procured for future deployment. Originally, the IDF planned to disseminate leaflets urging Rafah residents to evacuate this week. However, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu chose to delay this action to maintain ongoing American support for potential retaliatory actions against Iran following an attributed attack.