“Rafah was the one border crossing not directly under Israel’s control,” says Peter. “And they have long vowed to take control of it, as they see it as key to stopping Hamas as they can try to cut off their supplies.” Peter says that if you think of the Gaza Strip as an oblong, Israel borders it to the north and the east. On the west is the Mediterranean, which is patrolled by Israeli gun boats enforcing a naval blockade. “That leaves the small southern border with Egypt, and the Rafah crossing, which was very tightly controlled by Egypt as the only release valve allowing aid in and people on the evacuation list to get out.” The release – or apparently authorised leak – of clips of soldiers raising Israeli flags and using a tank to destroy a concrete “I Love Gaza” sign at the crossing also suggest a symbolic purpose to the offensive, the Guardian’s Jason Burke says in his analysis from Jerusalem. “This may be to frame the operation as the final – and so far elusive – victory ahead of concessions in negotiations,” he writes. The nearby Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, which was also a route for getting aid into Gaza, has been shut since Sunday after four Israeli soldiers stationed there were killed in rocket attacks. It led Jens Laerke, the United Nations humanitarian spokesperson, to warn that the crisis in Gaza will now rapidly escalate. “The two main arteries for getting aid into Gaza are currently choked off,” he said. “If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave.” The European Union’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said: “The Rafah offensive has started again in spite [of] all the requests of the international community, the US, the European Union member states, everybody asking Netanyahu not to attack. I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties. Whatever they say.” Where are the people in Rafah being evacuated to? IDF leaflet drops, mass text messages and social media posts warn that the military will “act with extreme force against the terrorist organisations in the areas where you live”. It orders that “for your safety, the Israel Defence Forces calls on you to evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone”. The leaflets, in Arabic, show a map with nine blocks in south-eastern Rafah where it says IDF forces will be operating, and instructs about 100,000 people living or sheltering there to immediately evacuate to al-Mawasi, a strip of land along the Mediterranean coast. In social media posts, the IDF said it had expanded the al-Mawasi area with more “field hospitals, tents and increased amounts of food, water, medication and additional supplies”. However, aid agencies warned that the area does not have the infrastructure to cope with a fresh influx of people. “Al-Mawasi has been designated a so-called ‘safe humanitarian zone’, but it is not safe,” Islamic Relief said. “Civilians sheltering there say they continue to face attacks and severe shortages of food, water and other vital aid. Forcing more people there will make the humanitarian crisis even worse.” Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, chief executive of humanitarian aid charity Mercy Corps, said al-Mawasi was already “uninhabitable” before the evacuation order. “Our team members report tents stretched endlessly under scorching sun with no relief in sight and no electricity, water, or aid.” Among families leaving Rafah with their possessions piled up on pickup trucks and donkey carts was Abdullah Al-Najar, who told Reuters it was the fourth time his family had been displaced since the war began in October. “God knows where we will go now,” he said. What does the Rafah offensive mean for prospects of a ceasefire? |