Rafah operation to happen ‘very soon’, say Israeli media reports
The offensive in Rafah will happen “very soon”, the widely circulated Israel Hayom newspaper said, citing a decision by the Israeli government. Several other Israeli media outlets published similar reports.
Preparations are under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians sheltering there, the reports said.
Israel says the southern city is the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza. It is also the place housing more than a million Palestinians who fled other parts of the Gaza Strip during the 200-day war.
Israel has been signalling an invasion of Rafah in recent weeks, but the operations have been stalled by disputes with the US. US officials say there must be a plan to safely evacuate civilians before any such incursion.
Satellite imagery analysed by the AP, meanwhile, found a new tent compound under construction near the city of Khan Younis, prompting speculation that Palestinians could be moved there before the looming Rafah operation.
‘Countdown to catastrophe’ amid reports of imminent Rafah attack
“Everybody seems to be on a countdown to war across the largest displacement camp on Earth, which is Rafah,” said Norwegian Refugee Council boss Jan Egeland.
A ground assault on Rafah would be an “apocalyptic situation”, Egeland warned, adding humanitarian groups “are completely in the dark on how to mitigate this countdown to a catastrophe”.
Israeli army calls up 2 brigades from northern Israel to Gaza
Israel’s military plans to transfer two combat brigades from northern Israel to carry out operations in Gaza.
The army said in a statement that the 2nd Reserve Brigade of the 146th Division and the 679th Reserve Brigade of the 210th Division will be deployed from along Lebanon’s border in northern Israel to the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli infantry brigade typically consists of 2,000 to 5,000 soldiers.
The statement didn’t clarify the nature of the operations forthcoming in Gaza, but the transfers come amid threats of a ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering.
Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said clearing Rafah of what his government says are four Hamas battalions is necessary for “total victory”.
Satellite images show new Israeli military outposts near Gaza
Nine Israeli military outposts have been established near Gaza during the war, according to satellite images verified by Al Jazeera, as experts warn that an Israeli invasion of Rafah could be imminent.
