Israel Proposes Plan for Rafah Ahead of Impending Ground Operation

February 14, 2024

by: Ynetnews

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 | Israel has put forth a proposal aimed at establishing extensive tent cities within Gaza as part of an evacuation strategy, anticipating an imminent operation on the southern city within the strip that Israel identifies as the final stronghold of Hamas.

The initiative, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is set to be financed through a collaboration between the US and its Arab Gulf counterparts, and the idea was recently passed to Egypt, coinciding with warnings from the Biden administration cautioning Israel against advancing into Rafah without a comprehensive civilian protection strategy.

President Joe Biden emphasized that any military action in Rafah must be accompanied by a credible plan to ensure the safety and welfare of the over one million individuals seeking shelter in the area.

According to Egyptian officials, the Israeli evacuation proposal entails the establishment of 15 campsites, each comprising approximately 25,000 tents, across the southwestern region of the Gaza Strip. These officials stated that Egypt would oversee the setup of these campsites along with field hospitals.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to provide a comment on the proposal, while immediate comment from the Egyptian government was not available.

Cairo has indicated its readiness to suspend the 1979 peace treaty with Israel should Palestinians attempt to cross the border from Rafah to escape an Israeli military offensive.

After the publication of the report, the United Nations [UN] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] stated that it had not received any notification from Israel regarding a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah. “We have not received any official communication from senior Israeli officials,” an OCHA spokesperson said. “Regardless, the UN does not participate in non-consensual evacuations.”

Posted on February 14, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on February 13, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

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