The Israeli military on Monday ordered residents in and around the southern Gaza city of Rafah to evacuate their homes, suggesting it could return to ground fighting in the area.

In a post on X, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee addressed residents in areas covering all of Rafah and parts of nearby Khan Yunis.

“The IDF (military) is returning to fight with great force to eliminate the capabilities of terrorist organisations in these areas. For your safety, you must move immediately to the shelters in Al Mawasi,” northwest of Rafah, he said.

AFPTV footage from the city showed long lines of people fleeing their homes on Monday.

Some travelled by foot or by bike, while others pushed makeshift carts loaded with belongings.

Donkey-pulled carts rolled down streets next to trucks piled high with blankets, mattresses and other household items.

Israel’s military on March 23 said it had encircled the Tal al-Sultan area in Rafah after warning civilians to leave.

It said at the time that its objective was to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure and eliminate” militants there.

Rafah, which sits along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, had already been the target of a major Israeli offensive about a year ago.

Israel resumed intense bombing of Gaza on March 18 and then launched a new ground offensive, ending a nearly two-month ceasefire in the war with Hamas.

Since the fighting restarted, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says that at least 1,001 people have been killed.