A Sky News Arabia correspondent reported the fears of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees trapped in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, of a possible Israeli invasion that will increase pressure on them and push them towards the border with Egypt.
Large numbers fled from the northern Gaza Strip to the south as Israeli military operations expanded, causing a major humanitarian crisis in the south, which became densely populated.
As Israeli attacks continued on the city of Khan Yunis to the south, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Rafah would be the next target for ground operations.
Netanyahu said at the beginning of a government meeting, on Sunday, that “what is required is to reduce the number of Hamas brigades.”
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He added: “So far, we have settled 17 out of 24 Hamas battalions,” stressing that “most of the remaining battalions are located in the southern Gaza Strip and in Rafah, and we will take care of them as well.”
According to a Sky News Arabia correspondent in the Gaza Strip, the city of Rafah has been witnessing unprecedented raids for 3 days, and “there is a Palestinian fear that these raids will be a prelude to implementing Israeli promises to enter Rafah.”
He explained that the pace of Israeli bombing on Rafah is increasing little by little.
Our correspondent spoke of “the Palestinians’ fear of being pushed to the border areas with Egypt, and this is unacceptable Palestinian, Egyptian, and even regionally, or perhaps returning them to the north, where they are subject to inspection at Israeli points.”
After nearly 4 months of war in the Strip, fighting is still continuing in Gaza City in the north, and in Khan Yunis in the south.
Last week, Israel said its main focus was now on Rafah, increasing pressure on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians who have fled their homes and taken refuge there.
The progress towards Rafah also raises concerns for Egypt, which says it will not allow any influx of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai Peninsula.
But an Israeli official told Reuters that the army will coordinate with Egypt and look for ways to evacuate most of the displaced towards the north before any ground military operation in Rafah.
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2024-02-04 16:24:12
