Israel considers the operation in the border town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip as essential in the fight against the Islamist Hamas. However, the Israeli government wants to move Palestinian civilians ‘to safer places’ before hostilities begin. According to media reports, hundreds of thousands of people have already left Rafah since early April.
Since April 7, 150,000 to 200,000 Palestinian civilians have left Rafah, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday, citing the army. The army declined to comment on the report when asked.
At times, about 1.5 million of the more than 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip stayed in Rafah. According to aid organizations, more than a million people took refuge there during the Gaza war. On April 7, the Israeli army said it had withdrawn its troops from the town of Khan Younis, also in the southern Gaza Strip. Since then, according to the Jerusalem Post, civilians began leaving Rafah towards Khan Younis.
The Israeli military hopes that more civilians will follow suit and move to newly built tent cities in the southern and central Gaza Strip.
Temporary port for the Gaza Strip that should be ready in May
To ensure faster distribution of aid to the civilian population in need, the US and other partners are currently building a temporary port off the coast of the Gaza Strip. According to Washington, the work is progressing well. The temporary port facility in the northern Gaza Strip is expected to be operational in early May.
The Pentagon clarified Thursday that the facility was designed to prevent American soldiers from entering the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it would provide logistical and security support to the US initiative, which includes the construction of a floating pier.
American aid agency: “Humanitarian situation incredibly bad”
At the same time, the US government once again urgently warned of an impending famine. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza is incredibly dire,” said a representative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Nearly 30 percent of children in northern Gaza showed signs of severe malnutrition. In the south of the Gaza Strip, almost a quarter of the population faces “catastrophic food insecurity”. These numbers would rise significantly in the coming months without urgent life-saving measures to combat malnutrition, the representative warned.
Another government official provided details on how the temporary port facility will work. It is believed that up to 90 trucks per day could initially be loaded with relief supplies arriving from Cyprus. Once the facility is fully operational, there could be as many as 150, he said. Israeli naval vessels and the Israeli air force would help protect the operation. According to the government representative, the project is supported by about a thousand US armed forces.
Grenade attack on construction site
An incident took place at the construction site on Wednesday. According to Israeli reports, Palestinian extremists fired mortar shells at the construction site during a visit by UN workers. According to Israeli media, no one was injured. The attack is not believed to have been related to the delivery of aid through the temporary facility, the US government official said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
