Israel has initiated a new series of attacks in the Gaza Strip, with airstrikes reported around Rafah, the latest focal point of the nearly eight-month-long conflict. Aid organizations report that a major hospital and a tent camp housing families displaced by the fighting have been hit. Over a million people have been forced to leave their homes in the densely populated enclave since Israel began its military operation to eradicate Hamas in early May.
The operation has drawn international objections over the safety of civilians sheltering in the city on Gaza’s border with Egypt. During a phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday, US President Joe Biden “reaffirmed” his position that Israel must not enter the city without a plan to ensure the safety of civilians, according to a White House release. Egypt has warned that any attack on Rafah could threaten the two countries’ decades-old peace treaty.
Israeli forces have been striking targets across the crowded enclave for more than three weeks, including schools, hospitals, and a UN compound. The bombardments have triggered mass evacuations from Rafah. Families have been told to head south, but they are unable to move to safe areas because the military is blocking access to roads. Aid workers struggle to get food and water into the city, and many displaced residents have nowhere to go.
The bombardment has intensified this week as Israel pushes west into the Tel al-Sultan district of the city. The district contains a tented camp for families uprooted from their homes in Rafah, a large UNRWA logistics base, and the Indonesian Field Hospital, which has been serving the most displaced people. Aid workers tell NPR that the strikes have been very intense, with constant sounds of explosions and gunfire.
An Israeli official says the army has identified “significant” Hamas weapons manufacturing facilities in the area and is pursuing them. He did not say whether any of those targets had been hit. Still, the official added that “Israel has no intention of stopping its operations against the terrorist organization until they have achieved all their military objectives.”
NPR’s Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba report from Rafah, Gaza Strip. Lauren Frayer contributed reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel.
In a telephone conversation on Friday with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that he was concerned about Israel’s actions in Rafah and urged the parties to work together to find ways to resolve their differences peacefully.
He also reiterated a call for Israel to open its border crossings into Gaza, which have been closed for seven years as part of the peace process with the Palestinians. He also said that Israel must allow aid to get into Gaza to help ease the humanitarian crisis. He said that if Israel continued its assault in Rafah, it would risk triggering a sanctions resolution from the Security Council, which is likely to receive the support of Russia and China, both of which have veto power on the body.
