RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The departure of Palestinians from Gaza’s last sanctuary sped up Sunday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also bombarded the territory’s ravaged north, where some Hamas fighters have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago.
Rafah is seen as Hamas’ final stronghold. Around 300,000 of the over 1 million civilians taking shelter there have fled the city after receiving evacuation orders from Israel. Israel insists it must enter to dismantle Hamas and free numerous hostages taken from Israel in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
Neighboring Egypt expressed its strongest objection so far to the Rafah offensive, stating it plans to formally join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza — an accusation Israel denies. The foreign ministry statement mentioned “the escalating severity and extent of the Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians.”
United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk stated that he cannot see how a large-scale invasion of Rafah can be justified under international humanitarian law.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated opposition to a major military assault on Rafah, and informed CBS that Israel would “be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency” without a plan to leave Gaza and govern postwar.
Gaza has been left without a functional government, leading to a breakdown in public order and enabling Hamas’ armed wing to reorganize even in the hardest-hit areas. On Sunday, Hamas boasted about attacks against Israeli soldiers in Rafah and near Gaza City.
Israel has not yet presented a detailed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, stating only that it will maintain open-ended security control over the enclave of about 2.3 million Palestinians.
Internationally mediated discussions on a cease-fire and hostage release seemed to be at a standstill.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting until victory in memory of those killed in the war during a Memorial Day speech. However, in Tel Aviv, hundreds of protesters gathered outside military headquarters and lit candles during a minute-long siren at the start of the day, demanding an immediate cease-fire agreement to release the hostages.
Netanyahu has turned down postwar plans suggested by the United States for the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to administer Gaza with backing from Arab and Muslim countries. These plans rely on progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state, which Israel’s government opposes.
The Oct. 7 attack claimed approximately 1,200 lives, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostages. Militants still hold around 100 captives and the remains of over 30.
Israel’s offensive has led to the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures. Israel claims to have killed over 13,000 militants, but has not provided evidence.
Intense bombing in the northern region
People from Palestine reported that there was heavy bombing from Israel overnight in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp and other areas in the northern part of Gaza, which has been mostly cut off by Israeli forces for months. U.N. officials say there is a severe lack of food there.
People living there said that Israeli warplanes and artillery also attacked the Zeitoun area east of Gaza City, where soldiers have been fighting militants for over a week. They have asked tens of thousands of people to move to nearby areas.
Abdel-Kareem Radwan, a 48-year-old from Jabaliya, described the night as very challenging. He mentioned that they could hear intense and continuous bombing since midday Saturday. He called the situation mad.
The Palestinian Civil Defense's first responders said they were unable to answer multiple calls for help from both areas, as well as from Rafah.
In central Gaza, staff at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah said that an Israeli attack killed four people.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the top Israeli military spokesman, said that forces were also operating in the northern towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, which were heavily bombed in the war’s opening days.
Hamas’ military wing said that it shelled Israeli special forces east of Jabaliya and fired mortar shells at troops and vehicles entering the Rafah border crossing area.
“Hamas’ rule cannot be overthrown without preparing an alternative to that rule,” columnist Ben Caspit wrote in Israel’s Maariv daily, expressing the growing frustration felt by many Israelis more than seven months into the war. “The only people who can govern Gaza after the war are Gazans, with a lot of support and help from the outside.”
People are fleeing in the southern region
Rafah was providing shelter to 1.3 million Palestinians, most of whom had escaped from fighting elsewhere. But Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of the city.
Most individuals are moving to the heavily damaged nearby city of Khan Younis or Muwasi, a coastal tent camp where some 450,000 people are already living in poor conditions.
The U.N. has cautioned that a planned full-scale invasion would further hinder humanitarian operations and lead to an increase in civilian deaths. The main aid entry points near Rafah are already affected. Israeli troops have taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, which has led to its closure.
A senior Egyptian official told The Associated Press that Cairo has filed complaints with Israel, the United States, and European governments, stating that the offensive has put its decades-old peace treaty with Israel — a key factor for regional stability — at high risk. The official was not authorized to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
U.S. President Joe Biden has stated that he will not provide offensive weapons to Israel for Rafah, and his administration says there is “reasonable” evidence that Israel had violated international law protecting civilians.
Israel denies those accusations, saying it makes an effort to avoid harming civilians. It blames Hamas for the high number of casualties because the militants fight in densely populated residential areas.
In the West Bank, where deadly violence has increased since the war began, the Palestinian Health Ministry said a man was shot dead by Israeli forces in Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The army said its forces responded with live fire after being shot at by militants in the camp.
