Based on the practice that happened to cities, including Gaza, Khan Younis, the air strikes will be followed by military operations on the ground in Rafah, in accordance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s orders to the army. this country.
Situation in Rafah and Gaza Strip
Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the capital of Rafah province, located 30 km southwest of Gaza City and bordering the Egyptian border. According to the 2017 census results, Rafah’s population is 171,889 people. However, after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) bombed and launched ground attacks on Gaza City and then the city of Khan Younis, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had to move from the North to the South. According to spokeswoman of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Ravina Shamdasani on February 12, Rafah is currently a refuge for about 1.5 million. That means Rafah’s population has increased nearly ninefold in just over five months.
The conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023 after a surprise attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians. In addition, Hamas gunmen also took about 250 people to the Gaza Strip as hostages. After the hostage exchanges under the ceasefire agreement from November 24 to December 1, 2023, there are currently about 130 hostages still in Gaza, but not all are still alive.
Hamas’s attack was followed by Israeli retaliation, starting with air strikes, followed by a ground offensive against Gaza on October 27, 2023. By February 14, according to the Gaza health agency run by Hamas, Israeli bombardment had killed at least 28,576 people and injured 68,291 others, most of them women and children. Previously on February 9, the United Nations said more than 650,000 people in Gaza no longer have a home to return to and many others will not be able to return to their homes due to damage caused by Israel’s war on the territory. territory and the risks posed by explosives left over from the war.
Buildings destroyed after an Israeli air strike on the city of Rafah, Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. Photo: THX/TTXVN
Results of satellite image analysis announced by the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT) on February 2 are based on a comparison of satellite images obtained on January 6 and 7, 2024 with images collected on January 6 and 7, 2024. on May 1, 2023, May 10, 2023, September 18, 2023, October 15, 2023, November 7, 2023 and November 26, 2023 showed that 22,131 structures were destroyed, Another 14,066 structures were severely damaged and 32,950 structures were moderately damaged. A total of 69,147 structures, equivalent to about 30% of the total number of structures in the Gaza Strip, were affected.
In its latest situation report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) estimated that there were about 12 million tons of debris from Israel’s destruction of homes in the Palestinian and Palestinian territories. It will take more than four years to clean them up. But of more concern today, according to UNOCHA, is the increasing risk of famine in Gaza, especially for hundreds of thousands of people in the northern Palestinian territory who have been cut off from aid supplies.
The reason Israel wants to occupy Rafah
On February 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to prepare to evacuate civilians from Rafah before launching a ground operation against Hamas in this city.
In an interview with ABC channel broadcast on February 11, Mr. Netanyahu announced that the Israeli army would provide a safe corridor for civilians in Rafah before launching a military ground operation in this border city. .
Looking at the statements of senior Israeli officials, we can see that there are two main reasons for them to promote the attack campaign on Rafah.
First, Israel remains steadfast in its goal of eliminating Hamas before ending its military action against Gaza. Meanwhile, according to information from the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 9, there are still 4 Hamas battalions in Rafah. Therefore, the attack on Rafah is to complete the goal of eliminating Hamas set when Israel launched the Iron Swords campaign against Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Second, Israel also suspects some of the approximately 130 remaining hostages are being held in Rafah and they hope an operation there will help rescue the hostages. On the night of February 12, under the cover of deadly air strikes against Rafah, the Israeli army successfully rescued two hostages and this further strengthened their hopes. In a statement released on the same day, Mr. Netanyahu said that only continued military pressure until complete victory will lead to the release of all those kidnapped by Hamas and that Israel will not miss any opportunity. any chance of bringing the hostages home.
The international community reacts to the military campaign in Rafah
On February 14, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, said that military operations in densely populated areas like Rafah will certainly is a disaster beyond measure… and will even widen the humanitarian disaster beyond imagination. According to Mr. Peeperkorn, a ground attack on Rafah will lead to a new wave of migration and military attacks will certainly increase casualties.
One day earlier, the United Nations (UN) protested Israel’s ground attack on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, warning that military operations could cause many casualties in an area with more than 1 million people. are living here. UN Deputy Secretary-General in charge of humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Mr. Martin Griffiths, emphasized that the military campaign in Rafah could seriously damage humanitarian operations, which are already facing many difficulties in the region. . He said more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is taking refuge in Rafah. They do not have enough food, shelter and almost no access to medical services. The UN is short of relief supplies and manpower to maintain humanitarian operations, while the international community has vehemently opposed ground attacks on Rafah. The UN Deputy Secretary General urged the Israeli Government not to ignore these calls.
Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike on the city of Rafah, Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. Photo: AFP/TTXVN
Also on February 13, Pakistan and Cuba protested Israel’s military attack on the city of Rafah. Meanwhile, South Africa has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to put pressure on Israel to stop attacking here.
For its part, China called on Israel to stop military operations in the Gaza city of Rafah “as soon as possible”, and warned of a “serious humanitarian disaster” if the fighting does not stop. In a statement, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “China closely follows developments in the Rafah area, opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law.” international”. Beijing called on Israel to “cease military operations as soon as possible, (and) make every effort to avoid casualties of innocent civilians, to prevent a more serious humanitarian disaster in the Rafah area.”
On February 11, the White House said US President Joe Biden had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and declared that Israel should not conduct a military operation in Rafah without a plan to ensure the safety of About 1 million people are sheltering in the area. According to Reuters news agency, the phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu was the first time the two leaders had a dialogue after Mr. Biden said that Israel’s response to the Gaza area was “excessive”.
