Israel: ‘Make a plan to evacuate the population from Rafah and eliminate Hamas’, Netanyahu orders the army

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare a plan to evacuate people from Rafah. His office (PMO) gave this information in a statement before a ground attack.

Rafah is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. Where thirteen lakh people of Gaza are currently living. According to the United Nations (UN), most of the people living in this city are those who have been evacuated from other parts of Gaza. Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would soon move into Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold.

As the IDF campaign advanced towards north and central Gaza, many Palestinians fled to the city to save their lives. But it’s not clear where they’ll go next. Because the border with Egypt starts from Rafah crossing. But, the border from the Egyptian side has been closed for months.

What did Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office say?
According to CNN, Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that it is impossible to eliminate the terrorist organization without eliminating four Hamas battalions in Rafah. On the other hand, a large-scale operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of civilian populations from war zones. The statement said that this is why the Prime Minister has instructed the IDF and the defense establishment to bring to the Cabinet a dual plan for the evacuation of the population and the elimination of Hamas battalions.

Palestinian President criticized
At the same time, in a statement on Friday, the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticized the military plan. He described the evacuation of Palestinian civilians from Rafah as a real threat. The statement said that now is the time for everyone to take action to stop this devastation. This will push the entire region towards endless war.

The war continued for more than four months
The war between Israel and Hamas started on October 7 last year. About 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed in Hamas attacks. Whereas, two hundred and fifty Israelis were taken hostage. Many of them are still hostage. After this Israel declared war and retaliated on Hamas. More than 26 thousand Palestinians have been killed in this war.