Israel’s Netanyahu orders military plan to evacuate Rafah and defeat Hamas
- Aid groups have warned of a high death toll if Israeli forces storm the crowded Gaza city, the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
- The US has said it would not support any military operation mounted in Rafah without due consideration for civilians
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel’s military on Friday to draw up a dual plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians from the crowded southern Gazan city of Rafah and to defeat the last Hamas fighters there.
His office announced the move as pressure mounted on Israel over its threat to launch a ground assault on Rafah, the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are trapped in the city after fleeing fighting elsewhere.
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants was “over the top” and Washington said it would not support any military operation mounted in Rafah without due consideration for civilians.
Aid groups said there would be a high Palestinian death toll if Israeli forces stormed Rafah, and warned of the growing humanitarian crisis in the city, on the coastal enclave’s border with Egypt.
Netanyahu’s office said four Hamas battalions were in Rafah and Israel could not achieve its goal of eliminating the Islamist militants while they remained there. Civilians should be evacuated from the combat zone, it said.