Egypt Daily News – Residents said the Israeli army is leveling what remains of the ruins of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, amid fears that this may be part of a plan to confine Palestinians in a massive camp on barren land. No food or medical supplies have entered the enclave home to 2.3 million people for nearly two months, since Israel imposed what has become its longest full blockade ever on the territory, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire agreement.
Israel resumed its military campaign in mid-March and has since seized large swaths of land, ordering residents to evacuate what it calls “buffer zones” around Gaza’s edges, including the entire city of Rafah, which makes up about 20% of the strip’s area.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the army is working to establish a new “humanitarian zone” in Rafah, where civilians will be relocated after undergoing security checks to prevent Hamas fighters from entering. Aid distribution will be managed by private companies.
The Israeli military has not commented on the report yet and has not responded to a Reuters request for comment.
Residents said deafening explosions are now heard constantly from the destroyed area, which was once home to 300,000 people.
Tamer, a resident of Gaza City who was displaced to Deir al-Balah in the north, told Reuters via text message, “The explosions never stop, day or night. Every time the ground shakes, you know they’re blowing up houses in Rafah. Rafah has been wiped out.”
He added that he receives phone calls from friends in Egypt, near the Gaza border, saying their children can’t sleep because of the blasts.
Abu Mohammed, another displaced resident in Gaza, told Reuters via text, “Our fear is that they’ll force us to relocate there and trap us like in a cage—or a huge displacement camp cut off from the world.”
Israel, which has enforced a complete blockade on Gaza since March 2, says sufficient supplies were delivered to the territory during the six-week truce, and therefore it does not believe civilians are in danger. It insists it cannot allow food or medicine in due to fears Hamas fighters will exploit them.
UN agencies say Gaza’s population is on the brink of widespread famine and disease, and that current conditions are the worst since the war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas fighters attacked Israeli communities.
Gaza health officials announced on Monday that at least 23 people were killed in the latest Israeli strikes on the strip.
At least 10 people, including children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and six others were killed in a strike on a café in the south. Social media footage showed some victims severely injured around a table at the café.
