Israel is to direct a “significant” number of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians trapped in southern Gaza to so-called “humanitarian islands” ahead of a military offensive aimed at destroying Hamas’s final stronghold.
Designated zones in central Gaza, located in the 56 sq/km Deir el-Balah Governorate, will provide temporary housing, food, water and other necessities, Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said on Wednesday.
The area around Rafah, near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, has become the epicentre of fighting in recent weeks, with Israel claiming it is home to four Hamas battalions and therefore key to freeing the remaining hostages still being held. It is also the main entry point for aid into the coastal enclave and has seen its population swell five-fold as civilians flee fighting in the north, with most living in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
What did the commentators say?
The “once-sleepy town along the Egyptian border deemed a ‘safe zone’ for displaced civilians to flee to” is now the centre of the world’s gaze, said Al Jazeera. UN officials have warned an attack on the densely populated area – which holds more than half of Gaza’s entire population – will be catastrophic, with more than 600,000 children in the path of an assault.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a Rafah offensive is crucial to achieve Israel’s stated aim of destroying Hamas, but the fate of the estimated 1.4 million Palestinian civilians living there has become a “major area of concern of Israel’s allies – including the United States – and humanitarian groups”, said Al Arabiya.
The US has been particularly “firm” with Israel over its concerns about Rafah, said the Daily Mail. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that protecting and aiding civilians must be “job number one” for Israel as it looks to wipe out Hamas.
The US and fellow mediators Qatar and Egypt failed to broker an extended ceasefire before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began this week. At the same time, USA Today said the Biden administration “has pressed Israel to devise a workable strategy” to spare civilians in Rafah from the violence that has left more than 31,000 dead and 73,000 injured in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, since the start of the war.
But there have also been “contradictory statements” coming from the White House, said Al Jazeera. President Biden said over the weekend that any invasion of Rafah would be a “red line”, before reiterating that he would never “leave Israel” or “cut off all weapons” to the US ally.
Amid mounting international pressure on Israel to ensure the safety of Palestinians currently living in and around Rafah, Hagari stressed any “humanitarian islands” will be carried out in coordination with international actors.
Yet humanitarian groups remain highly sceptical of Israel’s plans. They point to designated safe zones where evacuees were directed at the start of the war in a slice of undeveloped land along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast. Aid groups say there were no real plans in place to receive large numbers of displaced people and Israeli strikes still targeted the area.
What’s next?
Israel has not revealed when the offensive in Rafah will begin. Announcing plans for the “humanitarian islands” on Wednesday, Hagari did not say when the evacuation will occur or fighting begin. He said that Israel wants the timing to be right operationally and to be coordinated with neighbouring Egypt, which has said it does not want an influx of displaced Palestinians crossing its border.
Israel had issued an ultimatum to Hamas that it would invade Rafah by the start of Ramadan unless the group released the remaining hostages. That deadline passed on Sunday but hints from Defence Minister Yoav Gallant suggest it could come soon, said The Times of Israel.
“The conclusion is that there is no safe place in Gaza for terrorists,” Gallant said while visiting Gaza City. “Even those who think that we are delaying will soon see that we will reach everyone. We will bring to justice anyone who was involved in October 7 – either we will eliminate them or bring them to trial in Israel. There is no safe place, not here, not outside of Gaza, not anywhere across the Middle East – we will bring everyone to their place.”