The Hindu (Thiruvananthapuram)
Netanyahu approves plan for Army operation in Gaza’s packed Rafah
Rafah is the last major population centre yet to come under Israel attack; U.S. President Biden has said an Israeli invasion without civilian protection plans would be a ‘red line’; Blinken has also asked for a clear strategy to ensure civilian safety
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday he had approved the military’s plan for an operation in Rafah, where most of warbattered Gaza’s population has sought refuge.
Mr. Netanyahu “approved the plans for action in Rafah,” his office said in a statement, without giving details or a timeline.
The statement said the military was “prepared for the operational side and for the evacuation of the population”.
Rafah is the last major population centre yet to be subjected to a ground assault during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which was triggered by the militants’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.
The attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign to eliminate Hamas has killed at least 31,490 people, mostly women and children.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel during the war, has said an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a “red line” without civilian protection plans in place.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Vienna on Friday that Washington had not seen any plans for a Rafah operation, but reiterated that it wants a “clear and implementable plan” to ensure civilians are “out of harm’s way”.
The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas “expressed deep concern over an imminent Israeli military offensive in Rafah, which could result in a new massacre and further displacement of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the official Wafa news agency reported.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamasrun Health Ministry said on Friday that Israeli fire killed 20 persons and wounded 155 waiting to receive desperately needed aid in the besieged territory, but Israel said the reports were “erroneous”.