Israel orders new evacuations in Rafah as it prepares to expand operations

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israel has ordered new evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it prepares to expand its operation, saying it is also moving into an area in northern Gaza where Hamas has regrouped.

Fighting is escalating across the enclave with heavy clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of Rafah, leaving crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and forcing more than 110,000 people to flee north.