The order, which came during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, included Rafah and parts of neighboring Khan Younis. The Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order for the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, signaling that it could relaunch intensive assaults in the area.

Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 23 Palestinians, local health officials said, as the Israeli military expanded evacuation orders.

Last May, Israel launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, leaving large parts 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.

The military order came during the Muslim holiday of Eid, and almost a year after Israel launched a devastating invasion of the city bordering Egypt.

Israel ended a cease-fire and renewed its air and ground war against the Hamas militant group earlier this month.

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.