Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah: NPR

TEL AVIV, Israel – The Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Rafah, a move that indicates that Israel’s offensive in the southernmost area of ​​Gaza could be imminent.

People in Rafah were told to head to an “expanded humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi and Khan Younis, areas north and northwest of the city. Israel’s military sent text and voice messages and posted maps on social media with arrows telling people where to flee.

Israel’s move comes after the latest round of negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas appeared to remain deadlocked on key issues of concern. CIA Director William Burns reportedly participated in the Cairo talks over the weekend.

On Sunday, while a Hamas delegation was still in Egypt negotiating the deal offered by Israel, Israel’s government announced the closure of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news network in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement saying that it was Hamas that blocked a deal to free the hostages, saying it gave Israel’s negotiating team a very broad mandate, although no Israeli negotiator was sent to Cairo. during the weekend.

“We are not willing to accept a situation in which Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure and threaten the citizens of Israel again,” he said, rejecting an agreement that requires Israel. withdrawal of troops and end of the war.

Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement on Sunday that he was approaching the deal with “positive and flexible positions” but that his priority is “stopping the aggression against our people.”

“What is the meaning of the agreement if a ceasefire is not its first outcome?” he said, noting that talks remained deadlocked on key points related to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and whether a ceasefire and release of hostages would lead to permanent peace. ceasefire or a temporary truce.

Hours later, Hamas fired rockets from Rafah toward Israel, killing three Israeli soldiers. Israel launched airstrikes on Rafah, killing several civilians. Israel closed its border there with southern Gaza, where humanitarian aid had been entering.

Israel insists that an assault on Rafah is necessary to dismantle the Hamas battalions operating there. Netaneyahu vowed last week to enter southern Gaza “with or without an agreement” with Hamas.

Qatar, a key mediator, says an offensive on Rafah could further complicate negotiations, while Egypt, which borders Rafah, has consistently opposed an assault on the city, fearing a mass displacement of Palestinians into its territory. .

However, talks remain deadlocked over key points related to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their cities in the north and whether a ceasefire and the release of hostages would lead to a ceasefire. permanent fire or a temporary truce.

Since late March, Israeli airstrikes have hit Rafah almost daily, killing nearly 300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to hospital records and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

Briefing reporters on Monday, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israel’s operation in Rafah would be “limited in scope.” But Shoshani did not say whether this meant he had begun a broader raid or would continue at a later stage.

Israel has carried out evacuations in the Gaza Strip using voice messages and leaflets throughout the war, but Palestinians say Israeli orders posted online or dropped in leaflets are unclear, indicating numbered blockade zones with imprecise locations in a general map.

Many Palestinians in Rafah have told NPR in recent weeks that they can’t leave or don’t know where to go. Others said they will follow wherever the leaflets tell them to flee, even if areas in the past that were supposed to be safe are later bombed.

Khan Younis has been mostly destroyed by Israel’s attack there and fighting with Hamas. There are also unexploded ordnance in the area. Meanwhile, the al-Mawasi region borders the sea and lacks basic humanitarian services, including access to medical care, water, and fuel for generators or power.

For months, Israel has threatened to launch its ground offensive in Rafah, where nearly half of Gaza’s 2.2 million people are sheltered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it is the only way to defeat Hamas. Israel believes that at least four remaining Hamas battalions are still based in Rafah.

The United States and the UN have tried in recent weeks to dissuade Israel from an incursion. Overnight, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a phone call that “there was no other option and this meant the start of the Israeli operation in Rafah.”