Israel Gaza: Palestinians sheltering in Rafah fear impending offensive

BBC News:

A Palestinian doctor in Rafah has said people are terrified about the prospect of an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza’s southern-most city, after a night of some of the worst air strikes he has experienced since arriving there.

In a series of messages sent to the BBC on Monday, Dr Ahmed Abuibaid described the air strikes as incessant and everywhere.

“[The] most popular question on people’s minds is, where can we go?” he said.

Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had ordered troops to prepare to expand its ground operation to Rafah.

More than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million is now crammed into the city on the border with Egypt, which was home to only 250,000 people before the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October.

Many of the displaced people are living in makeshift shelters or tents in squalid conditions, with scarce access to safe drinking water or food.

UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned an assault on Rafah would be “terrifying, given the prospect that an extremely high number of civilians, again mostly children and women, will likely be killed and injured”.

He also said it could mean that the “meagre” humanitarian aid getting into Gaza might stop, with most deliveries currently going through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing.

His warning followed unusually sharp criticism from the US last week, with President Joe Biden calling Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza “over the top”. On Monday, Mr Biden said Israeli operations in Rafah “should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety” of civilians.

Speaking after a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Mr Biden also said the US was working on a ceasefire deal lasting “at least six weeks”.