The report added that the Israeli military advises the local population to move to humanitarian zones in the Al Mawasi and Khan Younis areas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Sunday that IDF were getting ready for a ground operation in Rafah.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that an Israeli operation in Rafah would be an "unbearable escalation" that would kill thousands of civilians and force hundreds of thousands of others to flee. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also urged Israel not to launch an offensive in Rafah.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 34,500 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.