Palestinians Flee Rafah for Fear of Israeli Ground Offensive

Since Monday morning, thousands of Palestinians began to flee the area east of Rafah to avoid bombing by the Zionist army.

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Previously, through leaflets dropped from the air, the Israeli occupation army announced that it "will work with extreme force" in neighborhoods such as Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tabba Zaraa, and Al-Byouk, as well as in the blocks 10-16, 28, and 270.

Due to this announcement, the Palestinians fear that the Israeli State will soon order a ground military assault against Rafah, which is home to over 1.2 million internally displaced Palestinians due to the violence that the Israeli forces have deployed since October 2023.

Thousands of Palestinians began evacuating from areas east of Rafah amid Israeli plans to invade this city in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to local accounts, at least 100,000 could evacuate the area east of Rafah and head west towards Khan Younis and north towards Deir al-Balah.

“Rafah is now a city of children, who have nowhere safe to go in Gaza," said Catherine Russell, the director of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"If large scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened,” she pointed out.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stated that Israel is preparing to launch a large-scale ground offensive "without considering the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip" or the fate of the Israeli hostages.

"We affirm that any military operation in Rafah will not be a picnic for the fascist occupation army. Our brave resistance, led by the Al Qassam Brigades, is fully prepared to defend our people, defeat this enemy, and thwart their plans and objectives," Hamas said.

Currently, the Palestinian presidency is intensifying its contacts with the United States and other countries in the region to avoid a massacre in Rafah.