The offensive could begin immediately once Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives the green light, according to the military source. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the government also announces that Israel is “going ahead” with the invasion plans, without going into details.
According to Israeli media, the invasion will take place in stages. The government spokesman says it will work to protect civilians, and an “important part of the plan” is to evacuate Rafah. The evacuation will be ordered within four to five weeks, and will include one million Palestinians, writes the Jerusalem Post.
Satellite images show at the same time how tent camps have been set up in southern Gaza in recent weeks, the BBC reports. Earlier in April there were reports that the government had bought 40,000 tents for the evacuation. According to information provided to Reuters, each holds between ten and twelve people.
Photo: Maxar Technologies/AFP
The Israeli army also announced on Wednesday that two brigades of reservists will be moved from northern Israel to Gaza. They will take over responsibility for the Netzarim corridor that crosses the strip from the Be’eri area in southern Israel to the coast. The move frees up other units for future military operations and is seen as a possible preparation for the invasion of Rafah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s staff has declined to comment on details of the evacuation and the ground offensive. According to Israeli media, the plans have been presented to the United States, which said no to previous proposals. In the new plan, civilians are to be warned and evacuated during each stage of the invasion.
Israel sees Rafah as the terrorist organization Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza and the aim of the offensive is to knock out tunnels and weapons depots in the border city. At the same time, the outside world has warned that a ground invasion could lead to a humanitarian disaster, as over a million internally displaced people have sought refuge in Rafah during the war.
On Tuesday, Norwegian refugee aid chief Jan Egeland said that the outside world “seems to be counting down to a war against the largest refugee camp on earth”, according to TT. Aid organizations are “completely helpless”, according to Egeland.
