Claim:
In May 2024, Palestinians evacuated Rafah City ahead of an anticipated Israeli Defense Forces assault, before its evacuation began in May. *** Attribute Credit To Context ***
Video footage released in November 2023 showed Palestinians leaving Rafah for Rafah under an evacuation order issued.
Israel issued an evacuation order to over 100,000 Palestinians residing in Rafah in southern Gaza City on May 6, 2024 despite opposition from some allies, suggesting they will go forward with planned military operations there, according to The Associated Press report:
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, reported that approximately 100,000 residents from areas surrounding Rafah would be directed to relocate into an Israeli humanitarian zone known as Muwasi – an informal coastal camp near Rafah. Israel expanded the size and scope of this zone which now features tents, food, water supplies and field hospitals – among other benefits.
Shortly after news broke of Rafah’s evacuation by Palestinians, an online video purporting to show this evacuation quickly became widely shared:
But the video showed the opposite – Palestinians fleeing south towards Rafah in November 2023. The clip first surfaced on X on Nov 8, 2024:
As part of its assault on Gaza City in mid-November 2023, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued an evacuation order for several nearby regions causing another wave of Palestinian refugees to travel south toward Rafah where millions had previously been relocated in October. Portions of Rafah now fall under this latest evacuation order issued by IDF.
Since this video dates from November 2023 and depicts an earlier evacuation of Palestinians, we rate it as miscaptioned.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Israel-Palestine conflict finally escalated violently when militant Palestinian group Hamas launched a devastating strike against Israeli troops at Hebron while Israel responded with bombing raids against Gaza Strip. Over 20,000 Palestinians reportedly died during just the first two months of fighting alone, driven by longstanding hostilities and territorial ambitions between nations that date back more than 100 years. Snopes has taken an unofficial front in combatting misinformation online by countering with facts and context. You can play your part, read up-to-date fact checks and submit questionable claims as they arise or support our work by becoming a Snopes Member; we welcome participation and welcome any feedback!
Sources Its “Biden Meets Netanyahu As Israel Close to Rafah Offensive.” AP News, 6 May 2024. For more information see this AP article (biden-netanyahu-gaza-rafah-d85423ad066fe41ac5783db5bd9ecffd).
Hamas Accepts Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal, but Israel Refuses to Respond.” AP News, 6 May 2024; https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-humanitarian-aid 8659eae6e0a7362504f0aa4aa4be53e0
“IDF Troops Deployed Near Gaza City.” NBC News, 9 Nov 2023. Checkout for updates at: nbcnews.com/world/liveblogs/israel-hamas-war-liveupdates-rcna124127
Ratcliffe, Rebecca et al. “UN Says Tens of Thousands Have Fled South from Gaza after Israel’s Evacuation Order as It Occurred – as It Happened”. The Guardian on 14 Oct 2023. Visit for further coverage www.theguardian.com, https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/oct/13/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-news-gaza-palestine-evacuations-military
