Israel Gaza war: More Rafah evacuations as Israel steps up operations

Israel has ordered a multitude of additional Palestinian individuals to evacuate Rafah, as they actively escalate their military actions in the southern region of Gaza.

Residents in the eastern districts of the city were informed through flyers that were dropped from airplanes and social media posts to proceed towards al-Mawasi. This place is situated on the narrow coastline and is known as the "expanded humanitarian zone" by Israel.

Sections of Rafah, which were previously filled with residents and refugees just a few days ago, currently appear deserted like a phantom town.

Israel has announced that they will continue with their planned operations in Rafah despite being cautioned by the US and other allies. These nations have expressed their concern that a ground offensive could cause immense harm to innocent civilians and result in a grave humanitarian emergency.

Over the weekend, Joe Biden, the President of the United States of America, commented that if Hamas were to release its hostages, a ceasefire in Gaza could be established as early as the following day.

At a fund-raising event in Seattle, Israel declared that the ceasefire could commence the subsequent day if Hamas chose to do so. According to them, the ball is in Hamas' court.

Israel has reported that a total of 128 individuals who were taken captive by Hamas on the 7th of October cannot be found. Out of this number, 36 people are believed to have died.

On Saturday, there were visuals of smoke emanating from Rafah and people who were interviewed by AFP said that there were air strikes in the vicinity of the border with Egypt.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, X, that their troops had been involved in close combat with Hamas fighters in Rafah over the last 24 hours.

According to the IDF, the soldiers discovered several underground shafts in the region.

Over the last 24 hours, numerous air strikes have been carried out by Israel throughout the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli armed forces claim to be focusing on eliminating terrorists and the facilities they use.

The IDF announced that they were currently attacking Hamas terror targets in the Jabaliya region in the northern area of Gaza on Saturday evening.

Previously, individuals were advised to vacate certain parts of the north region in Gaza. The recommendation was that they should "temporarily relocate to shelters located in the western portion of Gaza City."

According to the media in Israel, there were numerous rockets from Hamas aimed towards Ashkelon during the night. Ashkelon is a coastal city that sits approximately 10km away from the Gaza boundary. The inhabitants of a house that was hit by one of the rockets were reported to have suffered minor injuries. This information was reported in a news article by The Times of Israel.

There is widespread worry about Israel's decision to expand its ground assault to the southernmost point of Gaza, where numerous Palestinians have fled to escape the fighting happening in other parts of the region.

President Biden made an announcement last week that the United States will not provide Israel with any heavy weapons that can be utilized to carry out a significant assault in Rafah.

During a CNN interview, Biden mentioned that America will still provide Israel with the necessary weapons to safeguard its security, such as interceptors for its air defence operations known as the "Iron Dome".

He expressed that heavy weapons provided by the United States have already caused harm to innocent individuals in Gaza. He cautioned that Israel would lose the backing of Washington if it proceeds with military activities in those residential areas.

David Cameron, the UK's top diplomat, has stated that the country does not support the use of military force in Rafah. However, it seems unlikely that the UK will adhere to the US's strategy of withholding arms sales to Israel.

Last Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, expressed his desire to settle his disagreements with Mr Biden. However, he made it clear that he will not abandon their military operation in Rafah.

In case it's mandatory, we will proceed independently. I have expressed that we are ready to battle using only our fingernails, the Israeli Prime Minister conveyed.

On Saturday, people were told to leave right away because of safety concerns. This came after a report from the US state department that suggested Israel might have broken international laws by using weapons America had given them during the Gaza conflict.

The report states that it is justifiable to evaluate that those weapons have been utilized in manners that infringe upon Israel's responsibilities. However, it also mentioned that the United States does not hold complete information to finalize its evaluation and that the delivery of arms could still persist.

Organizations providing assistance have cautioned that the ongoing military operation by Israel in the southern region of Gaza would leave the Palestinian civilians with nowhere to seek refuge.

Residents in Rafah, like Khitam Al-Khatib, have experienced the devastating effects of the recent airstrikes in Gaza, as she shared that she lost many of her relatives in the attack. She expressed her concern that no place in Gaza seems to be safe.

According to her statement, pamphlets were distributed in Rafah urging citizens to move to al-Zawayda as it was a secure location. People followed the advice and shifted, but sadly ended up dismembered.

According to Oxfam, the region lacks operational medical facilities and there is a scarcity of relief resources available.

The biggest hospital in Rafah, which is one of three hospitals that are only partially operational, had to be quickly vacated after the staffers received an alert to leave. This decision was made because there was fighting taking place nearby.

The UN organization responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees has raised apprehensions regarding the circumstances at the al-Mawasi camp, where residents are being instructed to relocate.

According to Sam Rose, a representative from UNRWA, there are hardly any resources available in the area to accommodate the large influx of people being relocated there. This was reported by BBC News.

The individuals inhabiting shanties and makeshift camps along the sandy coastal route are confronted with numerous challenges with regards to equitable provisions of amenities.

The absence of water networks in that location is quite apparent. The infrastructure appears to be lacking, as does the necessary sewage and sanitation facilities, according to him.

The Israeli government started a military operation in Gaza with the objective of eliminating Hamas as a retaliation to their attack on southern Israel on October 7th. The attack resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 individuals and 252 others being held as hostages, as reported by Israeli officials.

Over 34,900 individuals have been reported deceased in Gaza as per the health ministry governed by Hamas in that region.