The Israeli army begins evacuating the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. The army calls on residents of the eastern part of the city, located on the border with Egypt, to go to Al-Mawasi camp on the Mediterranean Sea, a few kilometers north. Military action is expected.
The Israeli army began evacuating the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, in preparation for an expected military operation. The army called on residents of the eastern part of the city, located on the border with Egypt, to go to Al-Mawasi camp on the Mediterranean Sea, a few kilometers north.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamic terrorist Hamas movement in Cairo regarding a new ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners had previously remained unsuccessful. Israel wants to use the military operation in Rafah to destroy the remaining brigades of the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas. There are also suspected hostages in the city on the border with Egypt.
Israel’s allies have been warning urgently for months against launching such an attack in Rafah because hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are gathering there. However, Israel believes that the operation is necessary to ensure the destruction of Hamas’ combat capabilities. Otherwise, it could regain its power after the war ends.
The border crossing is closed
Members of Hamas’ military wing fired rockets at Israel’s Kerem Shalom border crossing on Sunday, killing three Israeli soldiers. Kerem Shalom is considered the main border crossing for delivering aid from Israel to the Gaza Strip. The army temporarily closed the crossing to humanitarian transport after the missile attack. According to his statements, the army then bombed the place in the Gaza Strip near the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, from which the attack was launched.
Before the combat operations in Rafah, Israel said that it wanted to evacuate the city first. This is expected to take several weeks. Israel said that Hamas prepared its fighters in Rafah to deploy against Israel and provided them with supplies and weapons. According to media reports, the number of hostage guards has also been increased.
Ground attack in stages
According to information received from the Wall Street Journal, Israel wants to carry out its ground attack in Rafah in stages. The newspaper wrote about two to three weeks of evacuation and six weeks of attack. Senior Israeli intelligence and military officials met in Cairo last month, among others, with the head of Egyptian intelligence to discuss Israel’s planned deployment of its army in Rafah.
The head of the Egyptian Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, had previously stated that there were no discussions with Israel about its possible military attack in Rafah. Egypt strongly rejects plans for such an attack and has made this position clear several times. The city to the south is the only city on the enclosed coastal strip that remains relatively intact.
Egypt fears, among other things, that the Israeli deployment in Rafah will lead to a rush of Palestinians across the border. The border crossing from the Gaza Strip to Egypt is located in Rafah, and is also an important gateway for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the closed coastal enclave. Intense fighting in Rafah may further complicate deliveries of food, medicine and fuel.