Why an attack on Rafah is dangerous for civilians

Since the war began, Israel has conducted ground operations across most of Gaza, steadily pushing Palestinians south. The United Nations estimates up to 1.7 million people have been displaced by the conflict. A majority of them are in Rafah, which before the war had a population of around 275,000.

Civilians in Shouka and the eastern Rafah neighborhoods of Salam, Jeneina, Tabet Ziraa and Byouk were told to leave for an encampment in the Mawasi area, on the outskirts of Khan Younis, according to a statement in Arabic from Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, an IDF spokesman.

Rafah residents were informed through fliers dropped from the air and via messages, phone calls and broadcasts in Arabic, the IDF said.

Mawasi has for some time now been deemed a safe zone in the war. Satellite imagery last month showed a growing encampment in the area. But aid groups have warned that the area has little infrastructure to sustain the increasing population of refugees.

“Even before today’s evacuation orders, Al-Mawasi was uninhabitable,” said Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, chief executive of Mercy Corps, in a statement. “Our team members report tents stretched endlessly under scorching sun with no relief in sight and no electricity, water, or aid.”

Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis were also deemed part of what the IDF called an expanded humanitarian zone. Both places have seen fighting and destruction during the war, making them hard to access for aid deliveries or evacuations.

The red zone — the focus of Israel’s new operation — includes Al-Najjar hospital, which provides limited treatment for cancer, dialysis, pediatrics and emergency care.

Mhoira Leng, a palliative care provider who recently returned from volunteering at the hospital said in a statement that patients and workers there were already struggling to receive care. “The staff are living in tents with scarce access to food. Now, they are being forced to flee and move immovable patients out of the only hospital providing this care in Gaza.”

The zone also includes two major entry points for aid into Gaza: Rafah crossing and Kerem Shalom crossing. Aid groups warned that this could be disastrous for the humanitarian efforts in the enclave.

“Rafah is currently the central hub of all humanitarian operations and a lifeline for aid to enter Gaza,” McKenna said. “An offensive will cause the humanitarian response — already impeded by extremely limited access, onerous border checks, and the destruction of vital infrastructure from roads to warehouses — to collapse.”

The zone also encompasses a large segment of Rafah’s agricultural land. Fighting there could further hamper Gaza’s ability to produce its own food.

Niha Masih, Lior Soroka, Annabelle Timsit and Cate Brown contributed to this report.