Palestinian Red Crescent says ‘thousands’ leave eastern Rafah
The Palestinian Red Crescent indicates that “thousands” of people are leaving eastern Rafah after the Israeli evacuation order.
MSF warns of “catastrophic” offensive in Rafah
“With more than a million people crowded into Rafah, the consequences of a military offensive would be catastrophic,” says Doctors Without Borders on X.
“The occupancy rate of hospital beds is more than 200%. I have never seen such a catastrophic situation in my career,” says doctor Mohammed Abu Mughaisib.
Hamas warns offensive preparations ignore fate of hostages
Hamas warned Israel on Monday that its preparations for a ground offensive on Rafah ignore the fate of hostages held in the Gaza Strip and threaten hundreds of thousands of civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Hamas said in a statement that Israel is preparing to launch its offensive “without taking into consideration the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip or the fate of the captives”, who have been held there since their kidnapping on October 7 in southern Israel. The Israeli army called on residents to evacuate the east of the town of Rafah, which has become a refuge for many displaced people, on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, in preparation for a ground military offensive.
Biden to speak with Netanyahu this Monday about Rafah
Joe Biden will meet this Monday with Benjamin Netanyahu, at a time when Israel is preparing a major offensive in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, the White House said.
“We have made clear to the Israeli government our views on a major ground invasion of Rafah and the president will speak to the prime minister today,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council told AFP.
“We continue to believe that a hostage release agreement is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people have sought refuge,” he said. he continued, adding that “these negotiations are ongoing.”
Israel’s order to evacuate Rafah ‘unacceptable’, EU diplomat says
The head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell on Monday judged “unacceptable” the evacuation order given by Israel to residents of the east of the town of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
This evacuation order “portends the worst: more war and famine. This is unacceptable. Israel must renounce a ground offensive” in Rafah, he urged in a message on X. “The EU , together with the international community, can and must act to prevent such a scenario,” he added.
Unicef warns of “imminent catastrophe” for 600,000 children in Rafah
Some 600,000 children crowded together in Rafah are threatened with a “new imminent catastrophe”, warned UNICEF, calling not to “displace them by force” while Israel has launched an operation to evacuate the city where army is preparing a major offensive.
“Military operations risk leading to a considerable number of civilian casualties and causing the total destruction of basic services and infrastructure on which they still depend for their survival,” warns Unicef in a press release.
Red Crescent confirms bombings
Ossama al-Kahlut, a member of the Rafah-based Red Crescent emergency operations unit, confirmed Israeli shelling in eastern Rafah neighborhoods.
“It is clear that they are targeting homes, but we have not been informed of the presence of victims in the targeted areas,” he told AFP.
Gaza Civil Defense says Israel bombs two neighborhoods in Rafah
The Israeli army intensified its bombings on two neighborhoods of Rafah, the residents of which it ordered early this morning to evacuate, the Palestinian civil defense of Gaza announced to AFP.
The Israeli aerial and artillery bombardments “have lasted since last night and have intensified since this morning”, explained Ahmed Redwan, a spokesperson for the Palestinian civil defense, specifying that two of the targeted neighborhoods – al-Shuka and al-Salam – were among those the Israeli army asked residents to evacuate.
The spokesman said the intensification of bombing coincided with Israel’s announcement to residents of certain neighborhoods in eastern Rafah that they had to leave due to an upcoming military operation. Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army did not immediately comment.
Israel ‘encourages’ residents of eastern Rafah to move to ‘humanitarian zones’
The Israeli army, which is preparing a major offensive against Rafah, began this Monday, May 6, a “limited-scale operation” aimed at “temporarily” evacuating around 100,000 people residing in the east of this city in the Strip. Gaza, calling on them to move to “humanitarian zones”.
Read more information about this evacuation order here.
Israeli offensive in Gaza
Hello everyone, welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army, which is preparing an offensive on Rafah against Hamas, today ordered more than 100,000 residents to evacuate the city.