Israel prepares full-scale ground offensive in Gaza's Rafah
Four months into its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel is about to send troops into Rafah. The enclave's southern city is thought to be home to 1.5 million Palestinians, most of them internally displaced refugees.
On Sunday night, under the cover of wide-ranging airstrikes, Israel launched a raid in the city of Rafah in the besieged Gaza Strip. During the raid, Israel said it freed two Israeli-Argentinian hostages kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas-led October 7 attack.
Local health authorities reported that the airstrikes killed at least 67 Palestinian civilians and leveled several residential buildings and at least one mosque. On social media, Argentine President Javier Milei thanked Israel for the resue of the two hostages, who both hold dual nationalities.
In an interview with US television network ABC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he intended to "get the remaining terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion," indicating that a subsequent ground invasion was imminent. Israeli plans for a ground invasion have drawn international criticism, with aid agencies and key allies calling for restraint.
Israeli forces free two hostages in Gaza's Rafah
Why did Israel launch a military campaign in Gaza?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The incursion led by the militant group — which the US, Germany, Israel, the EU and others designate as a terror organization — left about 1,200 people dead, according to Israeli estimates. In addition, Hamas abducted an estimated 230 hostages to the Gaza Strip, which the group has governed since 2007.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground offensive against Hamas in the territory. So far, more than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed in the campaign, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and about 1.9 million Palestinians civilians have been forced to flee their homes. More than 85% of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are now internally displaced, according to the UN.
What would a ground operation mean for Rafah's population?
Since October 7, Israel has steadily been expanding ground operations in Gaza toward the south, leaving Rafah as one of the last refuges for over half of the enclave's 2.3 million residents fleeing the violence. The city's population, which stood at almost 300,000 before the war, has ballooned to about 1.5 million. Many refugees live in makeshift camps and UN shelters.
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