Israel is apparently preparing for a ground offensive in Rafah and has now sent additional reservists to the Gaza Strip – their number is likely to be in the thousands. Israel’s allies warn against an operation.
The Israeli military says it is sending two additional brigades of reservists to the Gaza Strip. The announcement comes as the country prepares to expand its ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah, which the military believes is Hamas’ last stronghold in the coastal area.
The military said the reserve brigades would take on “defensive and tactical operations in the Gaza Strip.” They were previously deployed on Israel’s border with Lebanon. Israeli troops and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia have been fighting there since the beginning of the war.
“Lessons learned from ground maneuvers”
In recent weeks, the reservists have been training for operations in the Gaza Strip. “The soldiers practiced combat techniques and learned key insights and lessons from previous fighting and ground maneuvers in the Gaza Strip,” the statement continued.
At the start of the war in Israel and Gaza more than six and a half months ago, Israel had mobilized around 300,000 reservists. However, most of them have since been released.
Israel has gradually reduced the number of soldiers in the Gaza Strip; most recently there were mainly active troops there. The country does not publish its troop numbers, but a brigade typically consists of several thousand soldiers.
UN warns Israel about major attack on Rafah
Despite international warnings, Israel is planning a ground offensive in Rafah and wants to destroy remaining battalions of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas there. Israel’s allies such as the USA have warned urgently against the operation in Rafah.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have sought refuge from attacks in the city. It is considered the only city in the sealed-off coastal strip that is still comparatively intact. There is great international concern that an offensive there could cost many civilian lives.
Evacuation planned – but where to?
According to Israel, the civilian population should be evacuated to “safe zones”, such as the Al-Mawasi camp on the Mediterranean coast in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to UN information on Tuesday, more than 400,000 people are already registered there.
Tents are also apparently being set up near Rafah’s neighboring town of Khan Yunis. An Israeli army spokesman said the military was aware of the tents being set up, but it was not coordinated with the army. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that Egypt was involved. However, the aid organization Egyptian Red Crescent and Egyptian security circles rejected the reports that new tents were being set up.