An Israeli military official said that if an invasion were to begin in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where a million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge, an Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” along the coast would be expanded to accommodate accommodate more civilians.
The comments are among the first indications of the Israeli military’s plans for civilians in the event of a major ground maneuver in Rafah, which the Biden administration has urged Israel to forgo due to the risks it would pose to displaced Palestinians.
Palestinians who sought refuge in Rafah have been preparing for an Israeli incursion for months, crammed into crowded tents, schools and apartments. Many followed Israeli calls to evacuate, but were also bombed in these locations.
Israeli officials have repeatedly said the army would enter Rafah to fight Hamas battalions there, resisting international pressure to roll back any operation.
In the event of an invasion, Israel would ask the Palestinians to move into the expanded “humanitarian zone,” which would include a narrow strip of seaside land known as Al-Mawasi, and other unidentified areas beyond. Gaza, said the military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, Monday evening.
It was unclear how much territory beyond Al-Mawasi Israel would seek to designate as a “humanitarian zone” for civilians. Satellite images from Planet Labs have revealed a significant increase in the number of people in Al-Mawasi in recent months: an aerial image taken on Sunday shows tent encampments occupying land that was empty in mid-January.
Sandra Rasheed, director of the Jerusalem office of Anera, a humanitarian group, said Israel had not informed her of an impending operation in Rafah, but that the organization had found shelter for its staff members and their families can settle in Al-Mawasi. United Nations officials also said they had not been informed by Israel of an imminent invasion.
The western edge of the built-up area of Rafah lies near the southern border of Al-Mawasi and approximately three and a half kilometers from its center.
The Israeli army first asked Gazans to move to Al-Mawasi in mid-October. He reiterated this request in December when he issued evacuation orders for the neighboring town of Khan Younis and asked residents to head towards Al-Mawasi and some areas of Rafah.
Satellite images also appear to show a new cluster of hundreds of tents under construction west of Khan Younis. Images taken Thursday showed more than 100 tents in the area, while images taken Sunday showed more than 400 in the complex.
Israel is under growing international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza. The official did not specify what additional aid would be provided to Al-Mawasi. Mohammed al-Hassi, 48, a refugee doctor in Al-Mawasi, said the area was overflowing with displaced people and feared a new influx would worsen conditions.
“There are not enough toilets, there is not enough clean water and there is not enough space,” he said. “The existing infrastructure can barely handle the number of people already there. »
Rafah is on the border with Egypt, but with Egypt allowing virtually no Gazans to enter, there are few clear options for evacuating large numbers of civilians out of the city. Earlier this month, Jamie McGoldrick, then the top U.N. humanitarian official in Jerusalem, said an Israeli invasion of Rafah could force hundreds of thousands of people to attempt to flee north, a risky journey to through roads bombed and littered with unexploded ordnance. .
The Biden administration has repeatedly urged Israel to suspend a major military attack on Rafah, including during a virtual meeting last week. During that meeting, the US side evaluated the attack options presented by Israel, but was not convinced that these plans met Mr. Biden’s insistence that any operation be calibrated to minimize civilian casualties, according to a press release. White House Statement.
Israel has frequently encouraged Palestinians to seek refuge in Al-Mawasi, but the area has been repeatedly struck by the Israeli army, according to Palestinians in the area. Israel accused militants of firing rockets from Al-Mawasi.
“There is no safe place,” Mr. Hassi said. “I am not hostile to Israel or anyone in the world, but I cannot guarantee that the building, land or car I am next to will not be targeted. »
In Rafah, Rajab al-Sindawi, a second-hand clothes seller who fled the northern Gaza City, said he felt anxious as he, his wife and seven children were crowded into a small tent on a sidewalk.
“People are all waiting to find out how they’re going to move us,” he said.
Lauren Leatherby contributed to the reporting of this article.
