Move 1 million refugees into tents
According to a media report, Israel has proposed housing the city’s hundreds of thousands of residents in extensive tent camps ahead of the planned military offensive on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
As the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday (local time), citing Egyptian officials Israel’s proposal to evacuate the city, which is overcrowded with more than a million internally displaced people, involves setting up 15 camps with about 25,000 tents each. in the southwestern part of the closed coastal area.
Biden demands protection for the people in Rafah
US President Joe Biden again urged the protection of the civilian population in Rafah. Meanwhile, one day after Israel’s heavy airstrikes in the area and the rescue of two hostages from the clutches of the Islamist Hamas, negotiations for a new ceasefire and the release of more hostages will continue in Cairo on Tuesday , according to Israeli media. .
More than four months after the start of the Gaza war, Israel views Rafah as Hamas’s last stronghold and is now planning a military offensive there, which has sparked international criticism and great concern. Such an approach “must not take place without a credible plan to ensure the safety and support of more than a million people seeking protection there.”Biden said on Monday (local time) after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House.
Many people have been displaced there several times from other places, fleeing violence in the north of the coastal area.
Now they are “packed together, unprotected and defenseless” in Rafah, Biden said, demanding: “They must be protected.” The US government has also made clear from the start that it opposes any forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Jordan’s King: This war must stop
King Abdullah clearly warned against an offensive. “We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It will certainly lead to a new humanitarian catastrophe.”, he said. The situation is already unbearable for the more than a million people seeking protection there. He called for an immediate, permanent ceasefire. “This war must stop.”
Spooky words from Germany
Germany had also previously urged Israel to protect civilians in Rafah. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in Berlin on Monday that what Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had already explained this weekend applies: before any further major offensives against Hamas on Rafah take place, Israel must make it clear that “where and how these people can find protection – and effective protection”. This Wednesday, Baerbock planned to leave for her fifth trip to Israel since Hamas’ terrorist attack on the country on October 7, it was said.
VN: Do not participate in the expulsion
The Israeli government has called on UN agencies working in the region to help evacuate civilians from Rafah. Everything that happens in the southern part of the region on the border with Egypt must take place with full respect for the protection of the civilian population, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York on Monday.
“We will not participate in the displacement of people”. He also wondered whether there were safe havens in other parts of Gaza, also given the many unexploded bombs. According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel has in recent days submitted its proposal to set up tent cities in Egypt. The country bordering Rafah would therefore be responsible for setting up the camps and field hospitals, it was said.
Türkiye accuses Israel of expulsion
Egypt fears that a military offensive on Rafah could lead to a flow of desperate Palestinians to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. Turkey has accused Israel of deliberately expelling Palestinians following attacks on the Rafah area on Monday.
“We view this operation as part of a plan to expel the people of Gaza from their own land.”the Foreign Ministry said in Ankara on Monday. They are “extremely concerned” about the increasing attacks in the Rafah region. This will worsen the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and undermine efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire in the region, the report said.
What will be important on Tuesday
Egypt, Qatar and the US are currently making renewed efforts to broker a longer ceasefire in the Gaza war. As part of an agreement, hostages still held in the Gaza Strip will be exchanged in several phases for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Negotiations are currently progressing slowly, but will now continue in Cairo, according to Israeli media reports. On the same day, Union faction leader Friedrich Merz continues his visit to Israel. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
