Israeli Military Warns Thousands in Rafah to
Evacuate
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/06/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas
Here’s what we know:
Israel wants to “move people out of harm’s way,”
a military official said — a sign that it may be inching closer to invading the
Gazan city in defiance of international pressure.
The Israeli military on Monday said it was asking
tens of thousands of Gazans sheltering in eastern Rafah to temporarily evacuate
to what it described as a humanitarian zone, a sign that Israel was inching
closer to invading the city in defiance of international pressure.
By 9 a.m. local time, the military had begun
dropping leaflets in eastern Rafah ordering people to evacuate. The Israeli
military said it would also use text messages, phone calls and broadcasts in
Arabic to warn residents of Rafah to leave.
Since the start of Israel’s ground offensive in
Gaza last year, about a million people have fled to Rafah, the southernmost
city in the enclave, where they have been living in dire conditions.
Israel’s closest allies, including the United
States, have been urging it to not send troops into Rafah, saying such an
operation would take a heavy toll on civilians. But Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected those calls, saying Israel needs to defend
itself and eliminate Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Mr. Netanyahu’s stance on Rafah has complicated
cease-fire talks and raised concerns about the hostages Hamas is still holding.
An agreement has remained elusive, as Mr. Netanyahu has suggested openness to
only a temporary halt in fighting while Hamas has sought a permanent one. On
Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu repeated his promises to destroy Hamas.
“If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will
stand alone,” Mr. Netanyahu said in English, in a speech marking Israel’s
Holocaust Remembrance Day. “But we know we are not alone because countless
decent people around the world support our just cause. And I say to you, we
will defeat our genocidal enemies. Never again is now!”
About two weeks ago, the Israeli authorities said
that before they moved on Rafah, they would expand a humanitarian zone in
nearby Al-Mawasi where civilians could shelter. On Monday, the Israeli military
said that it had done so, and that the zone had field hospitals, tents and
larger supplies of food, water and medicines.
The military is not calling for a “wide-scale
evacuation of Rafah,” Nadav Shoshani, a spokesman, said on Monday. “This is a
very specific scoped operation at the moment to move people out of harm’s way.”
But the military, known formally as the Israel
Defense Forces, seemed to foreshadow its next move in Rafah.
“The I.D.F. will continue pursuing Hamas
everywhere in Gaza until all the hostages that they’re holding in captivity are
back home,” it said in a statement.
Isabel Kershner contributed reporting.
— Vivek Shankar
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