The order — which came during the Eid al-Fitr holiday — heralded renewed hardship for Palestinians in the southernmost city of Rafah, which has been battered by the war between Israel and Hamas. The war restarted two weeks ago after a monthslong cease-fire collapsed.

Last May, Israel launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, leaving large parts of it in ruins. The military seized a strategic corridor along the border as well as the Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that was not controlled by Israel.

Israel's military on Monday ordered residents of Rafah and nearby villages in southern Gaza to evacuate immediately, citing plans to resume operations "with great force" against militant groups in the area.