US plays down Rafah assault, says it will push for Gaza ceasefire deal
The US has played down Israel’s assault on Rafah, claiming that the operation – which saw tanks take over the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and effectively seal the Palestinian territory off from the outside world – appears to be “limited”.
Dozens of people were killed on the first day of Israel’s Rafah operation, while some 100,000 residents in eastern parts of the city have been ordered to evacuate.
The UN, the EU and humanitarian aid groups have warned of a “catastrophe” if the military operation escalates.
‘This will be the fifth displacement’
Displaced Palestinian families in Rafah are on the move again following orders from the Israeli military to evacuate or risk being killed. Many here were forced from central and northern Gaza to escape Israeli bombardment. They had been told Rafah would provide safety. But with the Israeli military striking, many are grabbing what little they have and leaving.
“I was displaced from Shujayea to Nuseirat, then to Deir el-Balah, then to Rafah – and this will be the fifth displacement,” Mohammad al-Ghul told Al Jazeera. “We have no idea where we will go. The situation is bad. We didn’t sleep throughout the night with shells over our heads,” he said.
Another displaced Palestinian, Emad, said people’s futures were unclear. “My family’s made up of four people, there are also four others in my brother’s family totalling eight. Where can we go?” he told Al Jazeera. “I haven’t even taken down my tent. We need money to take it down.”
Eight-year-old girl wounded in Israeli attack denied treatment after Rafah crossing seizure
As we’ve been reporting, Israeli tanks have blocked the Rafah border crossing. The closure of the crossing has put a chokehold on any essential aid coming into Gaza and also prevented the departure of wounded people and patients who were waiting to travel to receive treatment.
Among them is eight-year-old Lama Abu Holi and her cousin, who both sustained injuries in an Israeli air attack last month. “Today, my name was at the border, and I should travel to get my legs treated,” she told Al Jazeera. “They hurt. I am supposed to have an operation. Because the border crossing is shut today, I could not travel. I am sad because I did not leave today.”
The aftermath of an Israeli strike on a Rafah home
Rafah’s displaced crowd into Deir el-Balah
The courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital and its vicinity in Deir el-Balah is getting crowded as more people pour into the central area. The vast majority of people are coming from Rafah city, mainly its eastern central parts. They were forced to evacuate as leaflets were dropped and bombing intensified in their areas.
We can see quite clearly that this city is going to be overcrowded and running out of space.
Displaced Palestinians arrive with their belongings to set up tents on a beach near Deir el-Balah
Palestinians displaced from Rafah set up tents near Deir el-Balah beach
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