Israeli Army to Launch Ground Operation in Rafah
Gaza, MINA – The Israeli army is preparing to launch a military operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza “very soon,” Anadolu Agency quoted from local media on Tuesday.
According to the public broadcaster KAN, which cited unnamed Israeli military sources, the army is preparing for a ground operation in Rafah that would include “evacuating a significant number of residents.”
“According to the army’s plan, more than 1 million Palestinians in Rafah will be asked to evacuate the area to shelters recently established in the southern and central parts of the Gaza Strip,” said the broadcaster’s military correspondent Itay Blumental.
Blumental noted that according to the plan, presented to the US and unnamed countries in Israel’s region, the army’s offensive into Rafah “will proceed in stages” and involve dividing the city into zones.
He indicated that “residents in each area will be notified in advance before any Israeli forces move in, allowing them to be evacuated in stages.”
Israeli security officials estimated that the evacuation of residents from Rafah could take between four and five weeks, according to the same source. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
