More than a million people have fled to the city of Rafah, which borders Egypt, since the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip began. The Israeli army says it is preparing a ground offensive there to destroy the “last remaining Hamas bastions” and free hostages suspected to be there.
Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that he will stick to the planned ground offensive despite international criticism. “Early next week I will convene the cabinet to approve operational plans for Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians,” the prime minister said at the weekend. Observers warn of the devastating consequences of a ground offensive for the civilian population.
The Gaza war was triggered by the major attack on Israel on October 7th by Hamas, which the EU and the USA classify as a terrorist organization. Islamist fighters committed atrocities primarily against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli information, 130 hostages are still in the Palestinian territory and 31 of them are dead.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has since taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 29,690 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since then.
