Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to prepare to evacuate inhabitants from Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, ahead of an extended attack against Hamas.
Approximately 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah to avoid Israeli combat operations in the remainder of Gaza.
It comes a day after the US warned Israel that an accidental invasion of Rafah would be a “disaster”.
Aid organisations warn it is impossible to evacuate everyone from the city.
According to his office, Mr Netanyahu directed military and security authorities to “submit to the cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions” of Hamas.
Israel – Gaza War: Netanyahu Orders Military To Plan Evacuations From Rafah
“The war’s goal cannot be achieved without destroying Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the contrary, it is apparent that the heavy activity in Rafah necessitates the evacuation of people from fighting zones,” the statement continued.
Earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu stated that he had instructed forces to “prepare to operate” in Rafah and that Israel’s “total victory” over Hamas was only months away.
He made the remarks while rejecting Hamas’ latest proposed cease-fire terms.
The majority of people in Rafah have been relocated due to fighting in other sections of Gaza and are now living in tents.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that expanding the conflict to Rafah would “exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare” in the city.
While the chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA stated that there is “a sense of growing anxiety and growing panic in Rafah”.
Israel – Gaza War: Netanyahu Orders Military To Plan Evacuations From Rafah
“People have absolutely no idea where to go after Rafah,” Philippe Lazzarini told journalists in Jerusalem.
“Any large-scale military operation among this population can only lead to an additional layer of endless tragedy that’s unfolding.”
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli air raids on Gaza on Friday killed at least 15 individuals, eight of whom were in Rafah. Israel did not immediately respond.
Garda al-Kourd, a mother of two who has been displaced six times throughout the war, said she expected an Israeli invasion but hoped for a truce first.
“If they come to Rafah, it will be the end for us, like if we were waiting to die. “We have nowhere else to go,” she told the BBC from a relative’s house in the city, where she lived with 20 other people.
US President Joe Biden said Israel’s actions in Gaza were “over the top” on Thursday evening, without mentioning Rafah.
Israel – Gaza War: Netanyahu Orders Military To Plan Evacuations From Rafah
Earlier, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that the Israeli military had a “special obligation as they conduct operations there or anywhere else to make sure that they’re factoring in protection for innocent civilian life”.
“Military operations right now would be a disaster for those people and it’s not something that we would support,” he said.
According to Israeli sources, the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7 killed around 1,200 people.
The war that Israel started in retaliation has killed more than 27,900 Palestinians and injured at least 67,000 others, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
SOURCE – (BBC)
