Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to develop a dual plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah – the last area where residents of the Gaza Strip have found refuge – and defeat the remaining Hamas battalions, News.ro reports with reference to Sky News.

“The military objective of destroying Hamas cannot be achieved by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

“On the other hand, it is clear that the large-scale operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones. That is why the Prime Minister ordered the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense to present a double plan to the government – both for the evacuation of the population and for the liquidation of the battalions,” the message reads.

More than 1.3 million Palestinians are estimated to be refugees in the Rafah area after the Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning from the northern Gaza Strip and other areas of the Strip amid a ground offensive against Hamas.

• Read also: Washington warns Israel about the risk of “catastrophe” in the event of an unplanned operation in Rafah