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The Israeli army has ordered more than 100,000 people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to flee, signalling that a much-publicised ground invasion is imminent.
It appears last-ditch efforts by international mediators, including the director of the CIA, to broker a cease-fire have failed.
Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated last week that the military would move on the town “with or without a deal” to achieve its goal of destroying the Hamas militant group.
Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war.
Posters put up in the area read: “The IDF is about to operate with force against the terror organisations in the area you currently reside, as the IDF has operated so far.
“Anyone in the area puts themselves and their family members in danger. For your safety, evacuate immediately to the expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi.”
Key Points
- Rafah residents told to flee ahead of possible Israeli ground invasion
- Israel orders Al Jazeera to shut down
- UN relief agencies refuse to evacuate
Israeli military tells 100,000 Palestinians in east Rafah to evacuate
The Israeli military has called on more than 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah ahead of a long-expected ground invasion, and despite warnings of a burgeoning humanitarian catastrophe.
The Israeli Defence Forces have begun dropping flyers to Gazans sheltering in Rafah relief camps where the military is set to “operate with force” against Hamas, it said.
People have been asked to move to what Israel described as the “humanitarian zone” at Al-Mawasi as the army prepared for a “limited scope operation”, without confirming when the Rafah invasion would begin.
“In accordance with the approval of the political echelon, the IDF is calling on the population, which is under the control of Hamas, to temporarily evacuate from the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah to the expanded humanitarian space,” a statement from the IDF said on Monday.
It said that it was contacting Palestinians through “announcements, text messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic”.
Shweta Sharma reports:
Israel tells 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate Rafah ahead of ground invasion
Israeli army says it is preparing to ‘operate with force’ in Rafah as more than 100,000 people told to evacuate
Sam Rkaina6 May 2024 08:48 1714996895There is ‘nowhere safe to go’ for the 600,000 children of Rafah, warns UNICEF
With hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah injured, sick, malnourished, traumatised or living with a disability, UNICEF calls for children to not be forcibly relocated, and the vital infrastructure on which children rely to be protected.
With the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continuing to deteriorate, UNICEF is warning that a military besiegement and ground incursion in Rafah would pose catastrophic risks to the 600,000 children currently taking shelter in the enclave.
Following October evacuation orders to move to the south, it is estimated that there are now about 1.2 million people sheltering in Rafah, once home to about 250,000 people.
As a result, Rafah (20,000 people per km2) is almost twice as densely populated as New York City (11,300 people per km2), and about half the population is children, many of whom have been displaced multiple times and are sheltering in tents or informal and unstable housing.
Jordanian foreign minister saying there is a another ‘massacre of the Palestinians in the making'
Jordanian foreign minister has warned there is another “massacre of the Palestinians in the making” as Israel orders the evacuation of over 100,000 Palestinians from Rafah.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 May 2024 12:49 1714994234Hezbollah says its drone hits northern Israeli town, casualties reported
Hezbollah said on Monday it carried out a drone attack on an Israeli military position near the northern Israeli town of Metula that left several dead and injured.
Israel‘s military said it could not yet confirm the injuries or casualties, but said a drone had crossed from Lebanon into the Metula area. Israeli media reported two people were seriously wounded in the attack.
Iran-backed Hezbollah also said it had sent dozens of rockets towards military targets across the border with Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah, which has amassed a formidable arsenal since 2006, have been engaged in daily cross-border strikes over the past six months, in parallel with Israel‘s war in Gaza.
Hezbollah has so far restricted its attacks to a strip of northern Israel, seeking to draw Israeli forces away from Gaza.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 May 2024 12:17 1714992196
Rafah: An Israeli military offensive will lead to mass atrocities
Statement from Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) following forced, unlawful evacuation orders in Rafah: “Israel’s military offensive in Rafah could lead to the deadliest phase of this conflict, inflicting horrific suffering on approximately 1.4 million displaced civilians in the area.
“The relocation orders issued by Israel today to thousands of Gazans, directing them to move to Al-Mawasi, are beyond alarming. The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services. It lacks the capacity to house the number of people currently seeking refuge in Rafah, with no assurances of safety, proper accommodation or return once hostilities end for those forced to relocate.
“The absence of these fundamental guarantees of safety and return, as required by international humanitarian law, qualifies Israel’s relocation directives as forcible transfer, amounting to a serious violation of international law. Any Israeli military operation in Rafah – which has become the largest cluster of displacement camps in the world – will cause potential mass atrocities.
“Rafah had become the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of families, deprived of any semblance of safety. With nowhere else to go, they are facing the threat of prolonged displacement and death. My NRC colleagues, and many other aid organisations, are working tirelessly in crammed shelters, but we find ourselves unable to sustain these efforts. The aid system is bound to collapse, leaving those fleeing the advancing Israeli forces vulnerable to hunger and suffering.
“Israel’s allies have consistently failed to restrain indiscriminate attacks in Gaza for months. Now, once more, they are failing to prevent Israel from moving forward with a reckless military offensive in densely populated Rafah. By supporting a war of debilitation and supplying arms that fuel the conflict, Israel’s allies must now bear responsibility for their failure to ensure respect for the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
“We urgently call on Hamas and Israel to agree to a deal that can end the bloodshed and avert further hostilities. History’s verdict will be harsh on the men who continued a war that kills countless women and children. The parties must do more to protect civilians and ensure the safe delivery of aid during this offensive. Both Israel and Palestinian non-state armed groups must agree to an immediate and lasting ceasefire as the only way to save lives, release hostages, and ensure sufficient aid reaches people across Gaza.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 May 2024 11:43 1714990957President Joe Biden will meet Middle East ally, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, at the White House on Monday with prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appearing slim and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israeli officials blaming each other for the impasse.
On Sunday, Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out. Hamas also attacked the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza that Israel said killed three of its soldiers.
A Jordanian diplomat told Reuters Monday’s meeting between Biden and King Abdullah is not a formal bilateral meeting but an informal private meeting.
It comes as the Biden administration and Israeli officials remain at odds over Israel‘s planned military incursion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where it told Palestinians to start evacuating some parts on Monday.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 May 2024 11:22 1714989108Rafah and Kerem Shalom land crossings into Gaza closed
Tamara Al-Rifae, a spokesperson for UNRWA, told the Independent both the Rafah and Kerem Shalom land crossings into Gaza, which are vital lifelines for humanitarian aid, are currently closed.
Civilians in Rafah said the price of some food goods like flour and sugar doubled overnight because of this, and families were desperately trying to get supplies in case.
In pictures: UNRWA in Rafah
Pictures show scenes in Rafah this morning after Israel ordered citizens in the east to evacuate.
Hamas attack on Kerem Shalom crossing has caused ceasefire talk impasse, Egypt TV says
Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera news TV on Monday quoted an unnamed “high-level” source as saying that Hamas’s attack on Gaza‘s Kerem Shalom crossing had caused an impasse in ceasefire talks.
The Egyptian negotiators are intensifying talks to contain the current escalation between Israel and Hamas, the source said according to the channel.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain6 May 2024 10:17 1714985447Assault on Rafah would be ‘catastrophic’, UN warns
UN officials said an Israeli military operation into Rafah, which is sheltering up to 1.4 million people, most of them already displaced and half of them children, could “lead to a bloodbath.”
Tamara al-Rifae, from the UN’s Palestinian Refugee Agency UNRWA, told The Independent the potential impact from the assault would be “catastrophic”.
“No amount of emergency planning can assuage the immense anxiety than most people in Rafah feel today, as news of an imminent incursion abound,” she said, adding that UNRWA has pledged to stay put in the border town and continue humanitarian operations.
“The potential impact of such a military operation is catastrophic, given the level, scope and scale of the destruction that Gazans have already witnessed across the Strip for the last 7 months,” she continued.
“An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to prevent more death and destruction.”
Bel Trew6 May 2024 09:50 Newer1 / 2OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
