Israel: Launches ground invasion in Rafah at go-ahead
Nivette Dawod
Updated 17.58 | Published 15.15
Israel's military states that all preparations are complete.
A ground invasion of Rafah, where the majority of Gaza's residents have fled, is expected soon.
The Israeli military (IDF) states that all preparations are ready for a ground invasion against Rafah, in southern Gaza, writes the Reuters news agency.
The only thing waiting for now is an approval from the government.
After that, it starts "immediately", according to a spokesperson.
The goal, according to the IDF, is to crush Hamas and free the more than 100 people who are still held hostage by the terror-labeled group.
Two new brigades are mobilized
The Times of Israel reports that the IDF is currently preparing to mobilize two reserve brigades at the border with Gaza.
"They have been preparing in recent weeks for missions in the Strip," the Israeli Defense Force writes about the reservists, according to the Times of Israel.
One. of the brigades will group to split the Gaza Strip in two. The other is to secure a coastal strip, according to the IDF.
Many of Gaza's residents are in refugee camps in Rafah.
1 / 2Photo: Hatem Ali / TT
"Lead to a Slaughter"
The majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have fled to Rafah, following instructions from the Israeli military.
The city of Rafah is located in the southernmost part of Gaza, on the border with Egypt. Photo: Graphics/Getty
Several aid organizations have warned that these have nowhere to go in the event of a new land invasion.
- Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza. It would also lead to the already fragile humanitarian efforts there, Martin Griffiths, the UN's emergency aid chief, said in February.
The same tone has also come from several countries, including Israel's closest ally the United States, where President Joe Biden said that an invasion of Rafah would be crossing a "red line".
Neighboring Egypt has also warned Israel against launching an invasion against Rafah, as it would lead to "massive massacres, losses and widespread destruction", writes Reuters.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that a ground operation is pending.
Widen humanitarian zone
Yesterday, Brigadier General Itzik Cohen told Israeli Kan News that the invasion will happen soon:
- Hamas should know that when the IDF enters Rafah, the best thing to do is throw up your hands and give up. Rafah will not be the Rafah that exists today.
A residential building in ruins after an airstrike in Rafah on Wednesday. Photo: Ismael Abu Dayyah / AP
More details about the latest statement from the IDF are not yet available.
The New York Times reported yesterday that Israel plans to expand the "humanitarian zone" located in Rafah, which borders the Mediterranean coast, citing a military source.
Reuters has information from government sources that Israel has bought 40,000 tents, each holding up to 12 people, and satellite images are said to show tent camps being built in the town of Khan Yunis, which is near Rafah.
Information in several Israeli media has also claimed that a total of one million civilians are to be evacuated from Rafah.
FACTS
Background
More than six months have passed since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel in what is being called the worst massacre of Jews in modern times.
Over 1,100 people, mainly Israelis, were killed and 240 people were kidnapped. Over 130 of them are still believed to be with Hamas in Gaza.
The military invasion that Israel launched shortly afterwards against the Gaza Strip - with the aim of exterminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages - has been very bloody. By Palestinians it is called a new Nakba, catastrophe, just like the expulsion of Palestinians that took place in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
According to the Hamas-controlled health department in Gaza, over 34,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli attacks, the majority of them women and children. Over 76,000 have been injured.
The UN has also warned that famine is imminent.
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