Israeli Military Submits Plan for Evacuating Gaza Amid Imminent Offensive on Rafah
The Israeli military has presented a plan to the war cabinet for the evacuation of Gaza’s population from areas of fighting, signaling an imminent offensive on the southern city of Rafah. This move comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to develop a plan for the evacuation of civilians from Rafah earlier this month. The city, which is home to over a million people, has become a refuge for displaced Palestinians as the Israeli military advanced south through the enclave.
The plan, referred to as the “upcoming operational plan,” was submitted for approval on Monday. Although the statement from Netanyahu’s office did not explicitly mention Rafah, fears are growing in Gaza and across the international community regarding the IDF’s planned offensive on the city, which is located near the closed border with Egypt. The civilians in Rafah seemingly have no further place to escape, as Israel has already targeted the city with near-daily airstrikes and is preparing for a ground offensive.
The United States has expressed its concerns and warned that it would not support a campaign on Rafah without a credible plan to evacuate Palestinians. In response, Netanyahu’s office stated that the cabinet has also approved a plan for providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza in a manner that prevents looting, which has occurred in other areas of the northern Strip. During an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Netanyahu emphasized his commitment to the effort in Rafah, stating that they cannot leave the last Hamas stronghold without taking care of it.
Netanyahu further revealed that he had requested the IDF to submit a “double plan.” The first part of the plan aims to enable the evacuation of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, while the second part focuses on destroying the remaining Hamas battalions. He asserted that once Israel initiates the Rafah operation, the intense phase of fighting will be completed within weeks, not months.
Negotiations are currently underway in Qatar to reach a potential deal that would lead to a humanitarian pause in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed that negotiators have reached an understanding on the broad contours of a possible deal. However, Hamas has not yet signed onto this framework, and finalizing the agreement will still take several days as negotiators work on the details.
Sullivan emphasized that indirect discussions with Hamas are ongoing, as Qatar and Egypt play a crucial role in securing the release of the hostages. The hope is to reach a firm and final agreement in the coming days. The representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar recently met in Paris to establish the basic contours of the hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire.
As tensions continue to rise in Gaza, the world watches closely to see how the situation unfolds. The Israeli military’s plan for evacuating civilians from Rafah reflects their determination to address the last stronghold of Hamas. However, the potential deal for a humanitarian pause and the release of hostages adds a layer of complexity to the situation. Only time will tell how these negotiations will impact the impending offensive on Rafah and the overall dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
