Israel has informed the U.S. that it has no choice but to attack Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, due to Hamas’s refusal to cease fire. The Israeli army has instructed Palestinians to start evacuating to eastern Rafah, indicating that a ground invasion of Rafah is imminent.
The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on the 6th (local time) that Minister Yoav Gallant delivered this stance in a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin the night before. Minister Gallant stated this position by explaining the situation in which about ten rockets were fired from Rafah, considered the last bastion of Hamas, to the southern Israeli Kerem Shalom border checkpoint, causing casualties.
Minister Gallant told Secretary Austin, “Israel made great efforts to release hostages and reach a temporary ceasefire, but Hamas is still rejecting the proposal,” adding, “There are no remaining options, which means the initiation of an attack on Rafah.”
Earlier, the Israeli forces announced that they had begun evacuating some of the approximately 1.4 million civilians living in Rafah.
The Israeli military recommended the refugees in the eastern region of Rafah evacuate to a safe zone along the coast and plan to disseminate evacuation information through flyers, SMS, and phone calls.
The evacuation instructions order people to migrate to Muwasi, which Israel declared as a humanitarian area. The Israeli army announced expanded support, including field hospitals, tents, food, and water.
During the talks that began in Cairo, Egypt, on the 4th through the mediation of the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar, Hamas demanded a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops as conditions for a truce. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained that he could never accept this demand.