The Israeli Army attacks the city of Rafah, in the extreme south of Gaza, by air, while agreeing to send a delegation to Washington, which intervenes to stop a ground incursion into that city. The local Health Ministry reported the death of at least 20 people in Rafah and the center of the enclave. A possible full-fledged offensive in that town would cause “atrocities” never seen before, warned in recent hours the Government of Qatar, a country that, together with Egypt, is also mediating a ceasefire.
Fire and dialogue. In less than 24 hours, Israeli troops leave at least 20 people dead in Gaza and its Government confirms the sending of a delegation to Washington, which is trying to stop a land incursion into that city.
Israeli airstrikes left 14 people dead in Rafah alone and another six dead in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the enclave. during the early hours of this Tuesday, March 19, said the local Ministry of Health.
This is the city where more than half of the internally displaced people among Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants take refuge. For this reason, fears are growing of a full-fledged attack against the town, as promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last week approved a plan for the offensive in that city.
Although the Israeli Government justifies that Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas, which it promises to “eliminate” – in response to the surprise attack by the Islamist group that left around 1,200 dead on October 7 – the international community emphasizes that This operation would cause a huge number of fatalities, the vast majority of them civilians.including children, as has happened in the rest of Gaza territory.
This Tuesday, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Majed Al-Ansari, warned that if he continues with his plan, Israel's military would cause greater destruction and “atrocities,” even unseen in more than five months of the ongoing war.
The displaced already have enough miseries
Despite movements from the diplomatic field that suggest their participation in new negotiations for a truce, the forces of the country led by Netanyahu intensify their assaults.
This Monday, the sounds of explosions mixed with the rain, in the midst of the serious humanitarian crisis, with thousands of people trying to take refuge in tents. The total death toll this Monday rose to at least 31,819 peopleindicated the Gaza Ministry of Health.
“We can no longer distinguish between the sound of thunder and bombing (…) We used to wait for the rain and pray to God if it got late. Today we pray that it does not rain. The displaced already have enough miseries“lamented Shaban Abdel-Raouf, a father of five in Deir Al-Balah, about 14 kilometers south of Gaza City.
Despite the siege of bombs and artillery fire, many Gazans still have hope for an eventual ceasefire.
“We are looking forward to the good news from Qatar. Will it happen this time? Will they seal an agreement? More than 2 million people in Gaza pray that this will be the case,” Abdel-Raouf stressed.
And in recent days, Israeli government sources indicated that their country would send a delegation to Qatar – one of the countries that, along with the United States and Egypt, is mediating a truce – to participate in negotiations on a ceasefire.
Those talks were due to resume on Monday, March 18, as announced, after Netanyahu Administration officials did not participate in a previous round of dialogue in Egypt. An agreement has not yet emerged.
Israel agrees to send delegation to US to discuss Rafah offensive
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that the Israeli premier agreed to send a team to Washington in order to discuss with officials from Joe Biden's administration about his possible operation in Rafah.
Each side seeks to make “its perspective clear to the other” on that possible ground offensive, Sullivan said, at a time when the United States is pressing to stop the offensive.
Larger ground operation in Rafah would be a mistake, would lead to more deaths of innocent civilians
On Monday, March 18, Biden warned Netanyahu that an Israeli military operation in Rafah would deepen “anarchy” in Gaza, so they agreed to discuss those plans.
“Our position is that Hamas should not be allowed to take refuge in Rafah or anywhere, but a further ground operation in Rafah would be a mistake, lead to more deaths of innocent civilians, worsen the humanitarian crisis and deepen the anarchy in Gaza,” Sullivan assured.
In the last days, Washington has asked Israel for concrete plans on how it would evacuate or protect civilians.. An almost impossible scenario. Rafah is located at the southern end of Gaza, on the border with Egypt. There is no more space to flee to, many camp near the fence that separates them from the neighboring country, but Gazans are not allowed to leave the territory nor are there currently evacuation plans.
“Anarchy reigns in areas that the Israeli Army has cleared, but not stabilized (…) We have had many discussions at many different levels between our Army, our intelligence, our diplomats or humanitarian experts, but we have not yet had the opportunity to have a strategic, comprehensive and all-encompassing discussion,” added the National Security Advisor, summarizing the US president's message to the Israeli premier.
However, Sullivan said the two governments would have a thorough discussion on the way forward in Gaza, where The UN and the European Union emphasize that “spots of famine” are already registered. In fact, hospitals have already reported at least 20 deaths, most of them children, due to malnutrition and dehydration.
The total blockade of the enclave since the escalation of the conflict began hinders the entry of humanitarian aid. Despite the efforts of humanitarian agencies, deliveries of assistance by land have been sporadic and the recent maritime corridor, promoted by the EU and other countries, from Cyprus to Gaza, remains insufficient to cover the extreme needs of the population.
With Reuters and AP
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