UNRWA says it won’t evacuate from Gaza
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has extended a renewed warning against the consequences of an Israeli operation in Rafah, adding that the agency will not evacuate from the overcrowded southern city of Gaza.
It said on X: “An Israeli offensive in Rafah would mean more civilian suffering and deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people.”
“UNRWA is not evacuating: The Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible and will continue providing lifesaving aid to people.”
Rafah operation will be multidomain combined-arms offensive
Omar Ashour, professor of security and military studies and founder of Security Studies Programmes at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, spoke to Al Jazeera about the Israeli military’s plans for Rafah.
Main points:
- The Israelis had been repositioning and preparing for an assault on Rafah.
- More than a week ago, the Israeli military brought into the Strip about 40,000 large tents that could each contain 12 people in preparation for the evacuation of about 480,000 from Rafah to elsewhere. This was to reduce the high population density in the area which makes fighting difficult.
- Israel also withdrew the Nahal Brigade from the Netzarim Corridor to refit and reconstitute, and they are redeploying a force of about six brigades (3,000-5,000 soldiers) to a base near Rafah.
- This is not a limited operation but a two-division, multidomain combined-arms offensive on Rafah.
- There will be artillery, air and naval support, plus electromagnetic and intelligence support. So, this is a multidomain operation that he estimates will probably take months.
- He said it is also difficult to gauge exactly what Hamas’s capabilities in Rafah are, but they have indicated recently that they still have rocket artillery and mortars.
People flee parts of eastern Rafah
Palestinians will ‘inevitably die’ as a result of the Rafah evacuation: Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief, an international charity based in the United Kingdom, has released a statement in which it says it is “appalled” at the news that Israel has ordered evacuations in eastern parts of Rafah.
“As we have seen over the past seven months, forcing so many people to move is impossible without serious humanitarian cost, and people will inevitably die as a result of the evacuation,” the statement said on Monday.
The area where people have been ordered to move – al-Mawasi – has been designated a so-called “safe humanitarian zone”, the statement said, adding, “but it is not safe”. The charity said civilians sheltering there continue to face attacks and severe shortages of food, water and other vital aid.
People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah
Palestinians in eastern Rafah scramble to get food, essentials after evacuation orders
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