Palestinians set out to Khan Yunis with their belongings, from Rafah's Tel al-Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces. AFP
In a statement, Rafah officials highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions, with the wounded left to bleed to death and children dying of hunger and thirst under the siege.
The municipality warned that Tel Al-Sultan is facing "genocide," with thousands of civilians trapped under relentless Israeli airstrikes, with no means of escape.
The municipality reported that all communications had been completely cut off in Tel Al-Sultan amid ongoing bombardment, leaving emergency teams unable to reach the wounded.
Civil defense crews lost contact more than 36 hours ago while attempting to enter the area for rescue operations.
Israel ordered the evacuation of the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, telling people to leave by a single route on foot to Muwasi, a sprawling cluster of tent camps along the coast.
Thousands of people are still trapped in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip after Israeli occupation forces encircled part of it on Sunday, Palestinian officials said.
This escalation comes as Israel continues its blockade of Gaza since the second day of Ramadan, preventing food, water, fuel, tents, and medical aid from entering the war-ravaged strip for 21 consecutive days.
The blockade, condemned as a war crime by international organizations, has further plunged Gaza into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe after a month-long genocidal war on the strip.
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