The world on Sunday got its first look at how devastating an Israeli invasion of Rafah — Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than a million Palestinians have sought safety amid Israel’s military operations — might be.
At least 67 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and the death toll is expected to increase, according to the Gaza health ministry. The strikes coincided with a raid by the Israel Defense Forces that recovered two Israeli hostages. The hostages were the first freed since November; an estimated 132 of the original 250 taken by Hamas and its allies during their October 7 attack on Israel remain captive or are presumed dead.
The strikes come amid reports that Israel is considering a ground invasion of Rafah, which Israel claims is the last remaining Hamas stronghold. Such an operation would require massive evacuations; the city’s population is roughly five times larger than it was before the war, swollen by refugees fleeing the fighting in northern Gaza. Those residing in Rafah can’t go any further south as the city abuts Gaza’s border with Egypt, which is largely closed.
They also arrive as ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have stalled and as protests calling on the Israeli government to be more flexible in its approach to freeing remaining hostages have intensified. Despite these pressures, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s fight until it had achieved a “total victory” that involves Hamas’s complete destruction.
Increasingly, that total victory seems unlikely. Hamas has so far withstood Israel’s attacks; it’s unclear that a more aggressive operation in Rafah would change that. Ground battles in the densely populated area could create high civilian casualties, something that could strengthen the genocide case against Israel at the Hague. It would also likely lead to those critical of the war putting renewed pressure on Israel’s allies, particularly the US, to intervene….
Read the full article here
