Israel has approved military plans to attack Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza where the majority of the embattled strip’s population is sheltering, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday. The operation will involve the evacuation of the civilian population, the statement said, without specifying how or when this would take place. There are 1.4 million displaced Palestinians living in Rafah.
Quick Read
- Israel has decided to launch military operations against Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza where the majority of Gaza’s displaced population has sought refuge.
- The plan involves evacuating the civilian population of Rafah, which includes 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, although details on the method and timing of evacuation were not provided.
- The Israeli military had previously indicated plans to move civilians to “humanitarian islands” in Gaza’s center before initiating the offensive in Rafah.
- International concerns have been raised by the United States and other nations regarding the potential invasion of Rafah and the implications for civilian safety.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains firm on the decision, emphasizing the importance of targeting Hamas in Rafah as part of Israel’s broader objective to dismantle the militant group.
The Associated Press has the story:
Netanyahu approves plans to attack Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah
Newslooks- JERUSALEM — (AP)
Israel has approved military plans to attack Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza where the majority of the embattled strip’s population is sheltering, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday.
The operation will involve the evacuation of the civilian population, the statement said, without specifying how or when this would take place. There are 1.4 million displaced Palestinians living in Rafah.
The military had said on Wednesday that it planned to direct them to “humanitarian islands” in the center of the territory ahead of its planned offensive in the area.
Officials from the United States and other countries have expressed concerns over Israel’s plans to invade Rafah, fearing for the safety of the civilians.
However Netanyahu has said he had no intention of backing down, saying that attacking Hamas in Rafah was crucial to his goal of eliminating the militant group.
