After Rejecting Another Deal For A Ceasefire, Israel Has Begun Its Full-Blown Invasion Of Rafah
Israel says Rafah, where it had ordered more than 1.4 million Palestinians to evacuate, is home to the last Hamas battalions it needs to destroy.
After rejecting another deal for a ceasefire, Israel has begun its full-blown invasion of Rafah.
Here’s what’s going on.
On Monday May 6, Israel’s military started dropping leaflets in east Rafah, ordering the more than 100,000 Palestinians trapped there to evacuate.
The leaflets said Israel was about to use “extreme force” in southern Gaza and ordered civilians to move to an area in al-Mawasi refugee camp, west of Khan Younis, which Israel has completely destroyed.
Israel says Rafah, where it had ordered more than 1.4 million Palestinians to evacuate, is home to the last Hamas battalions it needs to destroy.
Shortly after, Hamas announced that it had accepted a deal for a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Egypt, leading to short-lived celebrations in Rafah.
However, hours later, Israel rejected the deal and began intensely bombing eastern Rafah, killing at least 20 Palestinians including women and children.
It then announced that it had gained “operational control” of the Rafah crossing to Egypt and raised the Israeli flag on the Palestinian side of the border", saying the crossing was being used for “terrorist purposes”.
The Rafah crossing is the only way to enter Egypt from Gaza and had been the “lifeblood” for the small amounts of aid entering Gaza since Oct. 7.
The Gaza Strip is now completely cut off from the rest of the region and the world.
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