- Israel has issued an order for tens of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate Rafah.
- Rafah seems to be a ghost town now that it was formerly a vibrant town with residents and displaced persons.
- According to Biden, if Hamas frees its hostages, a cease-fire in Gaza might happen as soon as the following day.
As its military operations in southern Gaza ramp up, Israel has issued an order for tens of thousands of Palestinians to evacuate Rafah. Israel refers to the slender coastal area known as al-Mawasi as an “extended humanitarian zone,” and this is where the city’s eastern neighborhoods are being focused.
Rafah seems to be a ghost town now that it was formerly a vibrant town with residents and displaced persons.Israel is proceeding with its planned operations in Rafah in defiance of US and other partners’ warnings that a ground invasion could result in a humanitarian crisis and widespread civilian casualties.
Conflict in Rafah
According to US President Joe Biden, if Hamas frees its hostages, a cease-fire in Gaza might happen as soon as the following day. Israel asserts that 128 of the hostages captured by Hamas on October 7 are missing, with 36 of them thought to be dead. Pictures from Saturday show smoke rising above Rafah, and AFP cited witnesses who said they saw airstrikes close to the Egyptian border.
There have been “face-to-face battles” between forces and Hamas fighters in Rafah, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Numerous Israeli airstrikes against terrorists and terrorist equipment have been carried out throughout the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours.
Additionally, the IDF has ordered locals to temporarily evacuate to shelters in western Gaza City and abandon some regions of northern Gaza.
Concern has been expressed worldwide over Israel’s intentions to continue its ground offensive to the southernmost point of the Gaza Strip. President Biden declared last week that the United States will not provide Israel with heavy weaponry that might be employed in a significant attack on Rafah. But he cautioned that if Israel conducted military actions in key population centers, Washington would not continue to back it.
Aid organizations have issued a warning, stating that Palestinians would be left without any safe havens as long as Israel’s military assault in southern Gaza continues. According to Oxfam, the region lacks working hospitals and has a severe shortage of relief supplies. Concerns have been raised by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees regarding the circumstances in the al-Mawasi camp, where residents are being ejected.
