More than a million Palestinians are preparing to evacuate after Israel announced plans for a ground attack on Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Aid agencies have warned that many civilians could die in the Israeli offensive, and the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency said it did not know how long it could operate “in such a high-risk operation”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to prepare to evacuate civilians from the southern Gaza city of Rafah ahead of the start of an expanded offensive against Hamas. About 1.5 million Palestinians are in the city, where they took refuge from fighting in the rest of the Strip.
“Israel cannot achieve its goal of eliminating the Islamist militants who rule Gaza while their units remain in Rafah. It is clear that the intense activity in the city requires civilians to evacuate from the fighting areas,” the Israeli statement said. cabinet.
The US has warned Israel that an incursion into Rafah would be a “disaster”, and the EU and UN have expressed concern. Humanitarian groups insist that it is not possible to evacuate all people.
Benjamin Netanyahu announced the upcoming operation earlier this week. He rejected the ceasefire terms proposed by Hamas and said Israel’s “total victory” over the Palestinian group was within months. According to the BBC, negotiators for Hamas are leaving the Egyptian capital, Cairo, with negotiations between the two sides at a standstill.
According to the EU’s high commissioner for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, “reports of an Israeli military offensive against Rafah are alarming.” This, he said, would have catastrophic consequences, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation and civilian casualties. Earlier in the week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “humanitarian nightmare” in the city.
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