Israel says Rafah assault looms, as massive Gaza air strikes end weeks of relative calm
- 40,000 tents have been bought for the evacuation of civilians, and all that remains is for PM Benjamin Netanyahu to give the order, an Israeli official says
- Palestinians at both ends of the Gaza Strip are again fleeing for their lives from bombing they describe as some of the war’s worst
Israeli warplanes pounded the northern Gaza strip for a second day on Wednesday in a fierce assault that has shattered weeks of comparative calm, and Israel said it was moving forward with plans for an all-out assault on Rafah in the south.
After weeks of reduced fighting following an abrupt Israeli pullback at the start of this month, Palestinians at both ends of the Gaza Strip were again fleeing for their lives from bombing they described as some of the war’s worst.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said Israel was “moving ahead” with its plans for a ground operation on Rafah but gave no timeline.
Western countries, including Israel’s closest ally the United States, have pleaded with it to hold back from attacking the city on Gaza’s southern edge, which is sheltering more than half the enclave’s 2.3 million people.
A senior Israeli defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel was poised to evacuate civilians ahead of its attack and had bought 40,000 tents that could house 10 to 12 people each. All that remained was for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give the order.