Gaza officials say Israel army strikes two Rafah areas it ordered evacuated
NEW DELHI: The Israeli army carried out air strikes on areas in eastern Rafah near neighborhoods that received evacuation orders, as reported by Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV.
Israel issued evacuation notices to civilians in parts of southern Gaza on Monday, signaling an impending assault on Hamas strongholds in the city.
Palestinian families, informed of the evacuation via Arabic text messages, telephone calls, and flyers, gathered outside despite chilly rain.
Israeli forces directed Palestinians to relocate to an “expanded humanitarian zone” located 20 kilometers away from the targeted areas.
While Israel’s military initiated what it termed as a “limited scope” operation to encourage Rafah residents to evacuate, it did not specify reasons or hint at any forthcoming offensive actions.
The evacuation call coincides with renewed talks of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, scheduled to resume on Monday. However, tensions persist as both sides remain at odds over ceasefire terms amid the seven-month-long conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that yielding to demands to end the war would equate to defeat. Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s resolve not to allow Hamas to regain control of Gaza, rebuild its military infrastructure, or pose a threat to Israeli citizens.
“Israel will not agree to Hamas’s demands, which mean surrender, and will continue the fighting until all its goals are achieved,” stated Netanyahu, as conveyed in a statement from his office.
Israeli army carries out air strikes on areas in eastern Rafah
The Israeli army carried out air strikes on areas in eastern Rafah near neighbourhoods that received evacuation orders, Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV reported.
Hamas says ‘Netanyahu sabotaging talks’
Reacting to Netanyahu’s statement, Qatar-based Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh accused the Israeli PM of sabotaging the talks.
A Hamas official said Sunday the group’s delegation for Gaza truce talks was headed to Doha for “consultations” after the last round of talks in Cairo failed to produce a breakthrough.
Hamas negotiators are then due back in Cairo on Tuesday, said Al-Qahera News, a site linked to Egyptian intelligence services.
Israeli air strikes rock Rafah
Israeli air strikes continued to pound Rafah in southern Gaza, where about 12 lakh Palestinians have sought shelter. Sunday bombings in the southern strip killed at least 16 people, hours after Hamas rockets eliminated three Israeli soldiers.
Gaza’s bloodiest-ever war began following Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.
‘Truce talks last hope’
Residents of the southern Gaza city said they feared an upsurge in violence if truce talks collapse.
Naja Shaat, 59, said she was “extremely joyful” when she thought a ceasefire was imminent, “but today… we are on pins and needles”.
The Palestinian civilian toll has strained ties between Israel and its main military supplier and ally the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas”.
Israel skips Cairo talks
Negotiators met in Egypt’s Cairo on Sunday in the absence of the Israeli delegation. In the meeting, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators proposed a 40-day pause in the fighting and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by Britain.
Any truce reached would be the first since a week-long November ceasefire saw a hostage-prisoner swap.
As millions of people have pinned hope on truce talk success, Netanyahu faces protests demanding a truce deal to bring Gaza hostages back home. Protestors, some carrying posters with images of the captives, gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday, as Israel marked national Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Al Jazeera calls Israeli crackdown ‘criminal act’
Israel on Sunday announced its decision to close Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera’s operation in the country. The network went off-air a short time later.
Lashing out at the Netanyahu dispensation’s decision, Al Jazeera condemned Israel’s action as a “criminal act”, and said it would take legal action.
The extreme step came amid Al Jazeera’s round-the-clock coverage of the war, which Israel says is one-sided.
(With AFP inputs)
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