DUBAI: Humanitarian workers lack details on evacuating Palestinians from Gaza’s southernmost city before an expected Israeli assault. But such a transfer would not be “possible” under current conditions, a Red Cross official told AFP on Tuesday.
“The rumour is that the probability of a major operation in Rafah is increasing,” Fabrizio Carboni, Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said on the sidelines of an aid conference in the United Arab Emirates.
“When we see the level of destruction in the middle area (of Gaza) and in the north, it’s not clear to us where people will be moved to… where they can have decent shelter and essential services,” he added.
“So today, with the information we have and from where we stand, we don’t see this (massive evacuation) as possible.”
Although over 1.5 million people sought refuge in Rafah, thousands are now observed returning northward. Despite this, Israeli ground troops have not yet entered.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for two months talked of sending troops into Rafah to go after Hamas.
On Sunday, he said the Israeli military would increase pressure to “deliver additional and painful blows” to the group behind the October 7 attack on Israel which triggered the ongoing war.
Israel’s allies, including Washington, have cautioned against a Rafah operation, fearing it would exacerbate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. The decision to evacuate civilians from Rafah underscores the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for de-escalation.
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