Despite criticism, preparations for the controversial ground offensive on Rafah continue: the local people are demanding international help. The UN warned again of a famine.
It is the constant hum of Israeli drones that is present day and night over the Gaza Strip, including Rafah. It is estimated that around 1.5 million internally displaced people from all other parts of the sealed-off war zone have been staying there, mostly in the open air, for weeks. The fear of an Israeli ground offensive on Rafah is great among the refugees.
After a nightly bomb attack on several houses in Rafah from Tuesday to Wednesday this week, Jamil Abu Houri, who fled here with his family from the north, told Reuters:
The day after Israel committed to a ceasefire, four houses around us were bombed. The bombing has increased and they have threatened us with an invasion. They say they have been given the green light to enter Rafah. Where is the Security Council? Where are all the people? Where are all the people when it comes to what is happening to us?
The signs are increasing
Israel’s armed forces have begun preparations for a ground offensive on Rafah, the online portal of the Israeli television channel Channel 12 reported this morning. The army has begun isolating the city in order to – literally – “be prepared for a scenario in which the hostage agreement talks could fail.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant coordinated the operation with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin during his talks with the American government in Washington. On Channel 12, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby recounted Austin’s conversation with Gallant: “He (Austin) said that we cannot support a major ground offensive in Rafah unless there is a plan, a viable, verifiable one Plan to ensure the safety of the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip who have sought refuge there.”
Another warning of famine
The order to purchase 40,000 tents from China, given by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is seen as a further sign of preparations for a ground offensive in Rafah. The tents would be delivered to the Gaza Strip upon arrival in Israel, Channel 12 reports, citing its own military correspondent. There should be clearly designated areas for setting up tents, which should be used by the internally displaced people in Rafah.
The UN World Food Program warned that the famine could spread. Speaking to the Reuters news agency in Gaza City, World Food Program regional director Matthew Hollingworth said: “Nowhere else in the world are so many people at risk of impending famine. Here in Gaza City we are at the epicenter of the crisis, here in the Gaza Strip. I “I met so many people today who are angry, tired and desperate because their children go to bed hungry every night.”
There are an estimated 300,000 people in the north of the Gaza Strip. Israel’s government rejects the UN’s allegations: the United Nations aid agencies have failed to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
Clemens Verenkotte, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesschau, March 28, 2024 12:42 p.m