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May 11, 2024 · Israel ordered new evacuations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its military operation closer to the...
May 11, 2024 · Israel ordered new evacuations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its operation and adding that it is also...
- Overview
- 'Already a disaster'
Palestinians in Rafah, the packed city on Gaza’s southern border, were terrified Friday of an impending Israeli ground assault — which the United States and aid groups have warned risks “disaster.”
More than half of the enclave's 2.3 million people have sought shelter in Rafah, crowding tents in refugee camps stalked by growing hunger, disease and more recently fear that there will be nowhere to escape if troops enter the city.
Washington said it could not support such an operation without proper planning, world leaders voiced growing alarm, and aid officials warned of a “bloodbath.”
In the face of that pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested Friday that civilians would be able to flee before the expected ground assault, which he said was necessary in the campaign against Hamas.
“It is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones,” Netanyahu said in a statement on social media. He ordered his military to prepare a plan but offered no further details.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for further details on the plan from NBC News.
Any attempt to evacuate from the overcrowded city would be neither feasible nor safe, said Andrea De Domenico, who heads the U.N. humanitarian agency responsible for the Palestinian territories.
“People are everywhere. This congestion not only makes it difficult for people to move but also hampers any potential evacuation efforts, and humanitarian operations,” she said in a statement from Gaza.
Satellite imagery shows the sprawling growth of makeshift shelters and tents that have transformed the enclave’s southernmost city over the past two months.
The city has been beset by soaring food prices, contaminated water and spreading disease. Incidents of theft have hampered what little aid is coming through, which charities describe as a “drop in the ocean” compared to the need.
“Rafah is already a disaster,” Amira Riyad, 30, said from an overcrowded hut. She said she was sharing a toilet with more than 50 people and struggles to find diapers for her 1-year-old daughter.
In some cases, Gazans have been forced to shelter in the most unlikely of places.
- Yasmine Salam
May 11, 2024 · Israel's military has ordered more people in areas of Rafah, in southern Gaza, to evacuate to western parts of the Gaza Strip. The call comes as Israel intensifies its operation in the city,...
May 6, 2024 · On Monday, the Israeli military began warning more than 100,000 people in eastern Rafah to evacuate as Mr. Netanyahu vowed to move forward with the invasion in order to defeat Hamas, which...
May 6, 2024 · Israel's military says it has begun ordering Palestinians to leave parts of eastern Rafah ahead of a "limited" operation in the southern Gaza city.
May 11, 2024 · Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate on Saturday ahead of a likely expanded ground operation there.
