JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt, to start evacuating from the area, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.
The announcement complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators, including the director of the CIA, to broker a cease-fire. The militant Hamas group and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks. The United States has repeatedly urged Israel against invading Rafah.
However, Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its
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