The Israeli Defense Forces say they have begun evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah ahead of an announced military operation. Now Hamas says they agree to a ceasefire proposal.
Published: 06/05/2024 07:36 | Updated: 06/05/2024 18:58
The Islamist organization Hamas says on Monday afternoon that it has accepted a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says so in a press release.
The proposal has been put forward by brokers from Egypt and Qatar. However, the details of the proposal are not known.
Earlier on Monday, there were reports of Israeli attacks in the evacuated area in Rafah. Concern is linked to a possible ground invasion.
– Israel’s evacuation order for civilians in Rafah portends the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable. Israel must renounce the ground offensive. This is what EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell writes in a post on social media on Monday.
At the same time, Israel and the Gaza Strip’s neighboring country, Egypt, says that the expected offensive is very risky. The country has increased the readiness of the military in northern Sinai, which borders the Gaza Strip. This is what security sources say, according to Reuters.
Saudi Arabia warns
At the same time, Saudi Arabia warns Israel against entering Rafah in what they refer to as a “bloody campaign”.
At 12.15, Reuters reports that Israel is attacking the evacuated area in Rafah. The information must come from Hamas-affiliated media. Details of the attacks are not known, but photos and video from the areas show bombings.
It comes after the Israeli military confirmed on Monday morning that they are “calling on residents of eastern parts of Rafah to move towards humanitarian areas.”
People in the area should have received messages on their phones on Monday morning to move west. Just after 08:00, the first families will have started to move from Rafah’s eastern parts.
There will be talk of the evacuation of around 100,000 people, according to Israeli military authorities.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hinted on Sunday that a planned military operation in Rafah would begin shortly.
About 1.1 million residents have fled from other places in the Gaza Strip to Rafah. The city is located in the very south of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt.
Sami Abu Zuhri tells Reuters that Israel’s evacuation announcement is a “dangerous escalation that will have consequences”. Zuhri is a senior member of Hamas.
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The borders of the Gaza Strip are closed, both to Israel and Egypt. The coastal areas towards the Mediterranean are under Israeli control and blocked off. Gaza’s 2.5 million people are therefore confined to 360 square kilometers and cannot flee to safe areas.
– Where should we go? We don’t know, says Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar (36) to the AFP news agency.
Jazar and his 12 family members live in the area that has been asked to evacuate. But the area they are asked to go to does not have room for his family, according to Jazar.
He also says that one of his family members is dependent on regular dialysis treatment.
– The evacuation area is far from hospitals and medical facilities. What shall we do now? Should we just watch her die?, he asks.
Osama Al-Kahlout of the Palestinian Red Crescent says the area residents have been told to evacuate to already houses about 250,000 people.
Promises to keep the border crossing open
US President Joe Biden had a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, who promised that the Kerem Shalom border crossing to the Gaza Strip will be kept open for humanitarian aid. This is stated by the White House.
Biden has tried to get Israel to drop the invasion plans. In the telephone conversation on Monday, he is said to have repeated the US’s concerns regarding a full-scale attack against Rafah.
– Expect more from both parties
The Israeli defense minister is said to have previously told the US defense minister that there will be an offensive against Rafah as Hamas has not wanted to release the hostages from the terrorist operation on 7 October, writes Reuters.
– It is crucial that both Hamas and Israel do what they can to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) earlier on Monday.
– The whole world is watching the talks, and expects both parties to show a willingness to meet each other, he says in a statement about the ceasefire negotiations.
The most important thing now is to agree to stop the hostilities, release the hostages and improve humanitarian access to Gaza, he believes.
– Gaza is a man-made disaster. Words cannot describe the suffering and distress the 2.3 million inhabitants have gone through in the last seven months. The most important thing now is to agree to stop the hostilities, release the hostages and improve humanitarian access to Gaza, says Barth Eide.
He emphasizes that the ceasefire is only a short-term goal.
– At the same time, it is crucial that the international community, as well as the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, get involved in the political track, including moving forward in the work for a Palestinian state, he says.
