Israeli airstrikes relentlessly targeted the northern Gaza Strip for a consecutive day, abruptly ending a period of relative calm. Additionally, Israel announced its intentions to proceed with a full-scale assault on Rafah in the southern region. According to a health official, three airstrikes struck residential homes in the city, resulting in the tragic loss of 28 lives, including children and members from three families. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to prepare for a significant evacuation of Rafah, branding it as the final bastion of Hamas within the enclave.
A senior Israeli defense official said the army was “thoroughly planning” a ground invasion of the southern border city, where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians have crammed into tent cities. The official did not say when the operation would begin, but he insisted it was planned in coordination with international actors. Western countries, including the United States, have pleaded with Israel to avoid an attack on the city, which borders Egypt and has a slender border crossing that is primarily closed.
In a telephone call with Netanyahu on Sunday, President Joe Biden warned the Israeli leader that launching an attack on Rafah without a credible plan to evacuate the city’s civilian population could wreak a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe. The two agreed to set a time for senior military, intelligence, and humanitarian officials from both countries to meet in Washington within days, a White House national security adviser said.
The United Nations appealed for a “pause in the attacks to allow for a full assessment of the situation on the ground.” They called on all sides to avoid inflaming tensions around Palestinian holy sites during the Muslim month of Ramadan. It also urged all parties to ensure that Israel’s offensive did not jeopardize the delivery of life-saving aid to more than 2 million Palestinians in dire need of food, shelter, and medical care.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have now crammed into the city, which has become an enormous tent city. They have fled fighting in nearly every other corner of the enclave and can’t go any further south because the border with Egypt is primarily closed.
The UN said that in addition to the ongoing violence, a shattered economy has made it impossible to deliver sufficient supplies of vital aid and that hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed. Over a million of its residents face extreme levels of hunger, and more than 8 million have no access to running water or reliable electricity, the agency said.
The agency’s deputy chief of humanitarian affairs said there were signs of a growing humanitarian crisis in parts of the strip that are constantly bombarded. He said that “the majority of the population is still not receiving the necessary nutrition and basic assistance.” The agency has been unable to send enough food to reach everyone in need because of border closures, longstanding import restrictions, and damage to infrastructure.
