The Tel Aviv The United Nations estimates that by Monday, nearly 360,000 people had evacuated Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, in an exodus that has tripled in size in just a few days. The Israel Defense Forces sparked the upheaval late last week, issuing evacuation orders by text messages and fliers dropped from the sky to people in the city’s eastern half.
Since then, IDF forces have pushed across the southern part of the Palestinian territory in what the military says are limited and precise attacks targeting Hamas militants and infrastructure.
Fearing massive casualties, the United States has repeatedly cautioned Israel against launching a significant military ground operation in Rafah. In conjunction with other nations, the White House has heightened pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to devise a strategy to tackle the humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflict and to determine who or what will assume governance of Gaza from Hamas the “day after.”
Increasing pressure is placed on Netanyahu
The Biden administration reiterated its concern over the weekend that Israel requires an exit strategy from the conflict and that Hamas, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by both the United States and Israel, could stage a revival even if it is defeated, in the absence of a viable alternative government for Gaza.
“You’re going to have a vacuum, and a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and, ultimately, by Hamas again,” Blinken told CBS’ “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan on Sunday. Without a “credible plan to safeguard civilians,” he emphasized, the United States “will not support” an Israeli military exercise in Rafah.
Meanwhile, visible rifts are beginning to emerge between the military and government of Israel. Senior military officials have begun openly demanding that Netanyahu determine what will administer Gaza in place of Hamas, stating that Israeli forces could become stranded there if this is not resolved.
Many families of Israeli soldiers share comparable concerns. A letter signed by 600 relatives of active IDF soldiers, dated the weekend, implored Netanyahu’s government to abandon a ground assault on Rafah, stating that it “could be nothing short of a death trap.”
In their letter, the families expressed their concern that those who have been announcing and warning about entering Rafah for months are preparing the ground to cause harm to the forces there. They stated, “Any rational individual would recognize that.”
Despite the Biden administration’s steadfast refusal to supply the requisite armaments, Netanyahu has remained resolute in his commitment to conduct the ill-fated full-scale military operation in Rafah. In the city, he has asserted that numerous Hamas battalions are entrenched.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant provided U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with an update on the conflict, including “the precise operation in the Rafah area against remaining Hamas battalions,” during an overnight phone call, according to a statement from Gallant’s office.
Gazans were obliged to evacuate on numerous occasions.
The devastated neighborhoods in the southeast corner of Rafah were eerily silent on Monday morning. They had been abandoned in response to Israel’s warnings of an impending advance.
Hundreds of thousands of individuals who had previously escaped to the city in response to Israeli orders have now returned, this time to the coastal region of al-Mawasi, which is located west of Gaza. Israel has established a vast camp for the displaced.
The location is presently out of the line of fire, but it is far from secure. Tens of thousands of families are stranded in tents that are pitched along a desolate coastline, vulnerable to the elements.
The mother of seven children, six of whom have passed away, is “still in a state of disbelief.”
Jamila Abu Jebara, who is currently residing in a makeshift camp in Deir al-Balah to the north, disclosed to CBS News that an Israeli airstrike occurred overnight that devastated nearly her entire family exactly seven months ago. Six of her seven children were assassinated, as was her spouse. The neighbors were the sole ones who were able to rescue her and her 10-year-old daughter Dema from the debris of their residence.
She declared, “The remains of my eight-year-old son are still buried beneath the detritus.” “I am awaiting the cessation of hostilities in order to withdraw him.”
The mother, who is currently single, also disclosed that she had no future plans, as she was “still in a state of disbelief.”
“I am obligated to preserve my maternal fortitude in order to ensure that my daughter Dema has a promising future.” She is consistently in my company, and I strongly advise her against leaving without me. She also stays with me.
This aspiration is shared by a significant number of Israelis. On Sunday, Israel commemorated Memorial Day by mourning the approximately 1,200 fatalities and fallen soldiers of the Hamas-led terrorist attack that took place on October 7 and precipitated the ongoing conflict.
Nevertheless, the prime minister issued unambiguous statements during a memorial service, despite the pressure from numerous families and efforts to persuade Netanyahu to reach a compromise regarding the repatriation of the approximately one hundred Israelis who are still being held captive by Hamas or other organizations in Gaza.
He pledged to achieve his declared objective of “destroy Hamas” by persevering until victory.
In an appeal that was read as the United States observed Mother’s Day, she added, “I wish I had perished and they had lived.”
“I have a message for all mothers: Witness our lives and our sorrows.” I am also one of the numerous families that have experienced the tragedy.
