Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 19 Palestinians overnight into Sunday, including a senior Hamas political leader as well as several women and children.

This, as the Israeli military instructed people to evacuate from part of the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.

The military said it would soon operate in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah. Israel launched a major offensive on the city in May.

People were ordered to evacuate on foot along a single route to the Mawasi area. It was not immediately known if the evacuation order meant Israeli forces would renew ground operations.

Two hospitals in southern Gaza said they received the bodies of 17 people killed in the strikes, including several women and children. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

However, those negotiations never began, and Israel backed out of the ceasefire deal after Hamas refused Israeli and U.S.-backed proposals to free more hostages ahead of any talks on a lasting truce.

Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. Most of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, but Israeli forces rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies.

Israel’s offensive has killed nearly 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run government’s Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians.

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are allies of Hamas, launched another missile at Israel, but the Israeli military said the projectile was intercepted. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.