Over half of the Gaza Strip’s entire population is sheltering in Rafah. Much of the population was repeatedly pushed southward by Israeli military orders to move into so-called safe zones. They are now trapped against Gaza’s southernmost edge, and are awaiting the terrifying prospect of soldiers advancing on them once again. International alarm over Israel’s plans for a ground offensive in Rafah has intensified in recent days, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press ahead with plans to invade the city near the Egyptian border. Mr. Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to draw up plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah before the offensive, however there is little chance that an evacuation of such scale could be carried out in compliance with international law. Rafah is also the primary portal for aid to Gaza, so any military operation would have disastrous consequences. Warnings against the offensive have come from nearly every part of the world, including from Israel’s most powerful allies.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/world/middleeast/rafah-israel-offensive.html
