Many Palestinians are fleeing eastern parts of Rafah, after the Israeli military ordered their evacuation before starting an operation in the southern Gaza city. Almost seven months into its war against Hamas, senior Israeli government and military figures have insisted that victory is impossible without a full-scale ground assault on Rafah. In March, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was intending to evacuate most, if not all, of the civilians in Rafah ahead of major offensive and send them to “humanitarian islands” in central Gaza where aid and tents would be provided.