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The Israeli military has instructed tens of thousands of Palestinians to leave the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Israel’s defense minister warned of an impending military “operation” as Israeli hostage release negotiations appeared to stall.
An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson told reporters that at least 100,000 civilians in eastern Rafah, along the border with Israel, were killed in a “limited area” operation as part of a “phased plan”. He said they should be moved to what he called a humanitarian zone in the Mediterranean. .
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops in Gaza on Sunday that there were “worrying signs” that negotiations with the militant group Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage exchange were stalling. “This means that there will be operations in Rafah and across the Gaza Strip in the very near future,” he said. “We are one step closer to action.”
Gallant told the military that Israel had suspended plans to invade Rafah in order to proceed with indirect negotiations with Hamas over the release of the hostages. If the talks fail, he said, the plan would be carried out again.
The evacuation order could see up to 33 Israeli hostages freed by Hamas during a six-week cessation of fighting, and contradictory reports on the progress of negotiations that could delay Israeli operations in Rafah. It was served inside.
Hamas has proposed that the six-week suspension is part of a broader agreement to release remaining hostages, many of them soldiers abducted in the October 7 attack, in exchange for a more permanent ceasefire. Was.
Israel was supposed to simultaneously release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of violence against Israeli civilians.
But a senior Israeli official said over the weekend that the IDF “will enter Rafah and annihilate the remaining Hamas battalion there, whether there is a moratorium on hostage release or not.”
A Hamas spokesperson told Al-Aqsa TV channel that the militant group continues to insist on a “permanent ceasefire” before agreeing to release the hostages, an obstacle that has derailed preliminary negotiations. .
CIA Director Bill Burns is scheduled to visit Israel after consulting with mediators in Cairo and Doha in recent days to discuss the details of the proposal being brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
The proposal is currently being considered by Hamas, leaving open the possibility of continuing negotiations during the initial limited ceasefire. This could lead to the release of an estimated 132 more hostages, including kidnapped soldiers, in exchange for “sustained peace”.
The evacuation order was issued after three Israeli soldiers were killed on Sunday by Israeli mortar fire near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which is critical for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. It was done.
An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson declined to say whether the order was prompted by the attack. The attack “was a reminder of the existence of Hamas,” he said.
Israel’s Western allies have repeatedly warned against invading Rafah without a detailed plan to protect the more than 1 million Palestinian civilians sheltered in the besieged southern end of the enclave.
The humanitarian situation in Rafah remains dire, with food and water shortages exacerbated by an influx of displaced people from the devastated northern enclave. UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, said it would continue its operations in Rafah despite the evacuation order, and Israel began communicating the evacuation order through leaflets dropped from aircraft, text messages and phone calls. .
The Mawasi humanitarian zone, where Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate, is roughly the size of Heathrow Airport, where international aid agencies have set up tent cities and a limited field hospital. The IDF said it would expand the “humanitarian” area.
Egypt has repeatedly said it opposes any Israeli military operations in Rafah, especially along the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, which runs along the border with the Gaza Strip. The evacuation order map also appears to include the Rafah border crossing, a major route for humanitarian aid.
Mr. Gallant met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin late Sunday and reiterated the U.S. government’s concern that Israeli military operations in Rafah must include a “credible” plan for the protection of civilians.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson declined to comment on whether Israel’s current plans had been submitted to or approved by the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition is threatening to collapse his government if Israel accepts an end to the Gaza war without dismantling the remaining Hamas battalion it claims is currently stationed in Rafah. .