Israel is determined to press ahead with unspecified plans to invade the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where millions of displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his intention to extend the military operation in an interview broadcast late Saturday. “We are going to do it,” he declared, noting that plans are currently underway.
This statement was made despite international alarm over the possibility of genocide. An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are packed into Rafah, surrounded by the border with Egypt, after being ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
The United States, Israel's main backer, has warned against plans to expand ground attacks on the city, which has been under near-daily airstrikes for months.
At least 25 Palestinians were killed in an overnight attack on Rafah, according to local Al Jazeera reporters, as the Israeli military ramps up its attacks this week. More than 28,000 Palestinians have now been killed since the war began in Gaza on October 7.
there's nowhere to go
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC News that he agrees with the US government's belief that civilians need to be evacuated from Rafah before a ground invasion.
“We're going to do this while providing a safe passage for civilians to evacuate,” he said, according to published excerpts of the interview.
But it is unclear where so many people, now close to the Egyptian border and sheltering in makeshift tents, will be able to go.
When asked, Prime Minister Netanyahu would only say that he is “detailed planning.”
“The areas we have developed in northern Rafah, there are many areas there,” he said.
“Those who say you shouldn't go into Rafah under any circumstances are essentially saying, 'Lost the war, leave Hamas there,'” he said.
Al Jazeera's Tarek Abu Azizm, reporting from Rafah, said desperate Palestinians in the region feel they have no options left.
“We must not forget that the majority of wounded and displaced persons are being transferred to Rafah to take them away from Israeli operations,” he said.
tensions with egypt
Egypt fiercely opposes the plan and has threatened to forcibly relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula.
Furthermore, Japan continues to maintain strict vigilance against increased Israeli military activity near the border. Cairo has warned that its decades-old peace treaty with Israel could be in jeopardy if Israel deploys troops on its borders.
Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev said the Israeli government takes seriously Egypt's sensitivities regarding military operations in Rafah and that the two countries will be able to reach an agreement.
Retired Jordanian Air Force Gen. Mamoun Abu Nowar told Al Jazeera that Hamas has deep tunnels in the region, some of which penetrate Egypt.
“We have to work very hard to control these tunnels, cutting or destroying command posts,” he continued. [Hamas] We lose this command as a whole, but this is going to be a very, very difficult fight, it's going to take several months. ”
“Recipes for disasters”
International warnings against an invasion of Rafah continue.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a post on X late Saturday that the EU member state's invasion of Rafah “will lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and serious tensions with Egypt.” Upheld the warning.
I share the warnings of several EU Member States that an Israeli attack on Rafah would lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and serious tensions with Egypt.
Releasing the hostages and restarting negotiations to halt hostilities is the only way to avoid bloodshed.
— Josep Borrell Fontels (@JosepBorrellF) February 10, 2024
Local leaders are also sounding the alarm. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed al-Budawi said the attack on Rafah would further destabilize the region and harm the Palestinian people.
UNRWA Executive Director Philippe Lazzarini acknowledged on Sunday that there was growing anxiety and panic in Rafah.
“A military attack in the midst of a completely exposed and vulnerable population will result in disaster. I'm almost speechless,” he said.