Illustrative image (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has completed all necessary preparations to take the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and can launch a ground operation against the Hamas Movement there the moment it gets government approval, a senior Israeli defense official told Reuters on April 24
Rafah, which is located right on the border with Egypt, shelters more than a million Palestinians who fled the half-year-old Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza.
In addition to Reuters’ report, the Axios news site revealed that the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, Ronen Bar, and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi visited Egypt in the morning to discuss the planned operation. The report, citing three senior Israeli officials, said that Bar and Halevi met with Egypt’s intelligence chief and other key officials to discuss the IDF’s looming operation in Rafah.
A day earlier, Israel’s Kan 11 reported that the IDF was preparing to begin the ground operation in Rafah “very soon,” beginning with a massive evacuation of over a million Palestinians.
Palestinians will reportedly be required to evacuate in the next four to five weeks to tent complexes that international aid organizations had set up.
The plan for the Rafah ground operation has been presented to American officials as well as several sides in the Middle East, Kan 11 said, noting that the operation will move forward in stages, based on a regional division of the city into defined areas.
At each stage, the IDF will inform the local population before they advance into each area so the local population can evacuate before Israeli troops move forward.
While the IDF has been pushing hard for a ground operation in Rafah, it continues to face difficulties in areas already occupied by its troops in northern and southern Gaza.
The IDF announced earlier in the week that a reservist was killed during fighting against Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. The slain reservist was a tracker in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade. His death brings the toll of slain Israeli troops in the IDF’s ground offensive against Hamas to 261. More than 1,500 others have been wounded, so far.
Overall, Israel appears about to launch a ground operation in Rafah. While the IDF has been promoting the upcoming operation as the final blow to Hamas, the only real outcome from the attack will likely be more dead or wounded Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli war has already claimed the lives of 34,262 Palestinians and left more than 77,229 others wounded, according to the latest update by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
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how shameful that the western world, who has been declaring to the world their undying love for human rights are the ones supporting the jewish supremacist psychopaths to commit a genocide against the palestinian people whose land they’ve stolen.
idf is the modern day version of the nazi ss
“idf will inform the local population before they advance into each area so the local population can evacuate…” evacuate to where?!? egypt and other puppet regimes are collaborating with israel, hamas’ bet that muslim and arab solidarity will kick in and save them appears to have been a complete miscalculation, though it’s not over yet…
oh yes, your’re the scummiest tribe on earth, ethnical chosen and skulling around the middle east. we thank you so much for that and even more, for doing it the kosher way.
my rafa is turd but diaper give me rash
0 id –i take rafi up my azz—no rash
finish them bibi!!!
yes!!!
heheheh
‘palestinians will reportedly be required to evacuate in the next four to five weeks to tent complexes that international aid organizations had set up.’
evacuate to the middle of nowhere, to made-up place where tents are set up by the israeli/us/brit murderers. they intend to murder all these people. f’ck these enemies of humanity. may god deliver the great palestinian people from this evil. give them protection. ireland stands with palestinian brothers and sisters.
unfortunately our jewish friends are overrated in their abilities and this will fail to root out hamas. its just buying more time for satanyahu to avoid jail time. israel like the west is led by imbeciles
good, finish destroying all the terrorists then go after hezbollah and iran
massgraves and not a peep from the bystanders, the eu and the band of minions making up that very corrupt organization under the leadership of von der lugen, nazi dyed from childhood.