#Israel #begun #evacuation #Rafah #ČT24 #Czech #Television
6/5/2024 Updated 1 hour ago|Source: ČTK, ČT24
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah
The evacuation of civilians from the eastern parts of the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip has begun. The Israeli military said it had called on people in designated locations to move to a humanitarian area it said it had expanded. “Evacuation calls will be given through posters, text messages, phone calls and broadcasts in Arabic,” the army said.
According to The Times of Israel, the army is encouraging civilians to move to a “humanitarian zone” on the coast and the areas of nearby Khan Yunis. The daily Ha’arec reported that the details of the evacuation were available to international and Palestinian humanitarian organizations.
Ha’aretz wrote on Monday that the IDF’s activity may just be a maneuver to pressure the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas into agreeing to a cease-fire agreement. If there was progress in the negotiations, Israel could halt the military operation in Rafah.
On Friday, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote that Israel gave Hamas, with whom it has been waging war in the Gaza Strip since October, a week to accept a cease-fire agreement and the release of Israeli hostages. If they don’t, the Israeli army will launch a ground operation in the Rafah area. The army has been bombing there since last year, although not as intensively as other parts of the Gaza Strip. Last Sunday, according to AFP, two Israeli attacks killed 16 people from two families there.
ČRo reporter Macháček spoke about the evacuation of Rafah (source: ČT24)
Armistice negotiations
On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Yo’av Galant said Israel would launch military operations in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip “in the very near future.” He was responding to a rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing claimed by Hamas that killed three Israeli soldiers.
Talks between Hamas and Israel are being mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. At the weekend, representatives of Hamas met in Cairo, where, among others, the head of the US Central Intelligence Service (CIA) William Burns was present. He then flew to Qatar, from where he is to head to Israel.
The large-scale operation of the Israeli army in Rafah, where over a million people fled from the fighting in other parts of the Gaza Strip since October, has been talked about for several months. The international community and a number of countries, including the United States of America, are urging Israel not to launch an offensive against Hamas fighters in the area until the civilians are safe.
