"It will happen. There is a date," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message on Monday, referring to a planned, large-scale Israeli military offensive in Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town. He didn't elaborate or give a specific date.
In recent weeks, the Israeli prime minister has repeatedly said the town on the border with Egypt is Hamas's last stronghold and that an offensive was inevitable to declare victory over the militant group, which is listed as a terrorist organisation in many countries.
The new announcement defies fierce international criticism of the planned ground operations. Over one million Palestinians — more than half of Gaza's population — have taken refuge in the city, which has been repeatedly bombed. Rafah is also the main logistical hub for aid into Gaza from Egypt.
Meanwhile, Israel's 98 Division ground forces withdrew from Khan Younis, another southern city, on Sunday, leaving only one brigade in northern Gaza to control a newly created corridor in central Gaza that separates the north from the south. Residents of Khan Younis, displaced to Rafah, were seen going back to see what is left of the city.
"The Division's operation in the Khan Younis area has run its course, and in the next phase the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is going for more intelligence-based operations, such as targeted raids," said Guy Aviad, a military historian and researcher, adding that "the distance between Israel and Gaza is very short, between 2 and 4 kilometers (1.2-2.4 miles), they can enter the area at any time."
Rafah was supposed to be a safer place, but it never was, said Loay Fareed, who has been displaced multiple times with his family since the war began.
"There are bombings almost every day, and the frequency is increasing every day," Fareed, 46, told DW via telephone from Rafah.
Fareed is among an estimated 1.5 million people who heeded the Israeli military's call to evacuate to southern Gaza — specifically Rafah, Gaza's........