Hamas announced to Egyptian and Qatari mediators that accept the agreement on the cease-fire. The news was announced in the afternoon by Al Jazeera which cites “an important source” from the Palestinian group. Immediately afterwards, Hamas announced on Telegram that the leader Ismail Haniyeh informed Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel “of the movement’s approval of their proposal on the ceasefire agreement.” Haniyeh called the two leaders directly on the phone. “The ball is now in Israel’s court,” said a Hamas official quoted by international media. “We have agreed on a six-week ceasefire“, a Palestinian source told Ynet. But waiting to know Tel Aviv’s official position, an Israeli political source quoted by Sky News Arabia he let it be known that Hamas would have given the OK to one Ceasefire proposal “modified by Egypt” and, therefore, not the version on which there would be general consensus on Israel’s part. A proposal that therefore “would not be acceptable” for Tel Aviv. “It’s the usual trick, it’s not true that Hamas accepted it,” declared the Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat meeting journalists in Rome.
The decision of the War Cabinet – The approval of the agreement from Hamas came a few hours after the decision War Cabinet of Israel which unanimously approved the land operation a Rafah, for which the army has prepared the plans. The green light arrived on Sunday evening and this explains the army’s announcement of the start of evacuation of civilians in the city in the south of Gaza Strip. For now the warning to Palestinian civilians concerns the eastern part of Rafah: once the evacuation is concluded, the Israeli media write, it should begin within a few days feared military invasion by landin an area where the majority of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Strip, including approx 1.2 million Of displaced Palestinians.
Reactions to the Rafah evacuation – Hamas had commented on the decision by speaking of a “dangerous escalation that he will have consequences“. Other sources had told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website that Hamas had also decided, as a consequence, “to suspend negotiations for a truce in Gaza”, explaining that the decision had been taken “by the movement, after consulting with the resistance factions”. The source specified that “the decision of the resistance factions was to postpone the return of the delegation to Cairo pending the results of the mediators’ efforts.” He also confirmed that the Hamas leadership had received a request from the Egyptian side to “avoid military escalation and give an opportunity to efforts to contain the crisis by continuing truce negotiations.” A few hours later, however, the picture changed with the announcement of acceptance of the ceasefire agreement.
Biden calls Netanyahu – The scenario of the operation in Rafah is what also the Biden administration attempted to avoid at all costs and which would have devastating humanitarian consequences. Added to this is what was communicated by civil defense of Gazaaccording to which Israel bombed the two neighborhoods of Rafah who ordered the Palestinians to evacuate. In this sense, the Egyptian state broadcaster Al Qahera showed live images of violent Tel Aviv raids. Joe Biden in a new one phone call to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – lasted about half an hour – he reiterated concerns of the United States on an invasion of Rafah and said that reaching a cease-fire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to US National Security Council sources. Netanyahu only “agreed to ensure that the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance to those in need.”
The flyers – An evacuation”temporary” and of “scope limited“, a spokesperson for theIdfwhich concerns people who “live in Rafah East“. The operation should involve, again according to the Israeli army, “approx 100 thousand people“. The IDF also launched attacks in the eastern part of Rafah flyers who invite the civilian population to move temporarily towards the enlarged humanitarian areas, in anticipation of possible military action. THE flyers I am in Arabic and are accompanied by text messages, telephone calls and media announcements. In the brochure that invites people to evacuate from the area on the border with Egypt (in red) to the area in yellow, it is written that there will be “strong military action”. The civilian evacuation order given by the Israeli army is “inhuman“, claims theUN in a statement. According to a senior Israeli official, quoted by Ynet“if Hamas will accept a agreement” preparations for the attack on Rafah “could be stop“. The official added that everything “is reversible“.
Palestinian flight begins – The Israeli army therefore officially asked the Palestinians to evacuate the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah, those al Israeli border, in view of the offensive planned and announced for months now. Civilians were asked to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the areas of al-Mawasi And Khan Younis. Second Sky Newsthe Palestinian families they started to run away from the eastern areas of Rafah after the evacuation order: some residents have already collected their things to leave the area with wagons horse-drawn, car and also to feet. According to the flyers, the evacuation concerns “all residents and displaced people in the area of the municipality of Al-Shouka, in the neighborhoods of Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tabbat Al-Zaraa, Tabbat Al-Byouk and in the blocks: 10,11,12,13,14,15, 16,28,270″. The Palestinian Red Crescent says “thousands” of Rafah residents are leaving the eastern part of the city.
The failure of the negotiations – Hamas left “no choice but begin the operation” in Rafah, claimed the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallantspeaking to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin, according to what his office reported. In the conversation, Gallant added that “Israel is doing everything it can to get to one draft for the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire“, but “at this stage Hamas rejects any proposal that would allow this”. In recent days the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu he had repeatedly threatened that even with an agreement Israel would still attack Rafah. And so the agreement has always remained stalled. “The Israeli decision to begin the evacuation of the population” of East Rafah”will stop the negotiations” on a truce agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages, he told Walla a senior Hamas official. The talks, he added, “were progressing well and we were neighbors to a agreement. Netanyahu deludes himself that the threat of an invasion of Rafah will put pressure on Hamas, but will only lead to failure of negotiations”
The alarm from UNRWA and Unicef – The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has extended a renewed warning against the consequences of an Israeli operation in Rafah, adding that the agency will not leave the overcrowded southern city of Gaza. “An Israeli offensive in Rafah would mean more suffering and deaths among civilians. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people,” writes UNRWA on X. “The Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah As long as possible and will continue to deliver life-saving aid to the people”. UNICEF also warns that a military siege and incursion into Rafah would pose catastrophic risks for the 600,000 children who currently take refuge in the enclave. According to Unicef, in Rafah around 65,000 children have a pre-existing disability, around 78,000 children are under 2 years old, at least 8,000 children under 2 years old suffer from acute malnutrition and around 175,000 children under 5 years old – or 9 out of 10 – are affected by one or more infectious diseases.
Oxfam: “Catastrophic humanitarian consequences” – “An Israeli ground offensive on Rafah will have catastrophic humanitarian consequences“, underlines Paolo Pezzati spokesperson for humanitarian crises of Oxfam Italy. “The most serious thing – he adds – is that today’s evacuation order directed at 100 thousand people comes after multiple appeals from world leaders to desist from intervening in such a densely populated area. In these hours the fear in Rafah is palpable because tens of thousands of people will once again be forced to flee in search of a safe shelter that does not exist“. As Oxfam explains, “any humanitarian response is almost impossible given that Israel is blocking the entry of any aid through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Without fuel families will not be able to move within Gaza, for example. It is equally impossible to know which areas of Gaza will be targeted by Israeli bombing. LAl-Mawasi areaa so-called ‘safe humanitarian zone’, which has already been hit twice – continues Pezzati – and where the population has been told to flee, will not be able to cope with a further influx of internally displaced people“.
Rafah, the city south of the Strip – Rafah, which had a population of approximately 270,000 inhabitants before the war in Gaza began on October 7, it is now home to the majority of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Strip. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million people have taken refuge in the city located at the southern tip of Gaza, on the border with Egypt. Almost half of the population in the city is made up of minors. Doctors Without Borders believes that in total more than 1.5 million people are currently in the city, having fled the northern and central areas of the enclave due to Israeli ground operations and airstrikes.
IDF: “Gradual displacement of civilians” – After saying that “there was a wave of humanitarian aid destined for Gaza”, the military spokesperson underlined that the army “has expanded the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi”. An area – he added – which includes “field hospitals, tents and larger quantities of food, water, medicines and additional supplies”. For this reason there will be “the gradual movement of civilians in the specified areas, towards the humanitarian area”. Information on the “temporary movement – added the military spokesperson – will be transmitted through posters, SMS messages, telephone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic”. Meanwhile during the night there was also a Israeli raid against two houses in Rafah. Rescuers reported nine deaths in the “Al Attar family” and another seven in the “Keshta family”. A hospital source confirmed the toll of the attacks, specifying that they occurred “in the Yebna refugee camp in Rafah and near Al Salam”.
