The head of Israeli defense has declared victory over the city of Khan Younis and vowed his forces would attack Rafah next. Rafah is the last city in Gaza not completely destroyed by the ongoing Israeli military campaign. About 75 percent of the Strip’s population is currently sheltering in that city.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was winning in Khan Younis, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would move on to Rafah. “We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us,” he proclaimed.
When Israel began its military campaign in Gaza, it ordered all Palestinians to leave the northern half of the Gaza Strip. Most of the internally displaced Gazans fled to Khan Younis, the largest city in the southern half of the Strip. Now, following the IDF bombardment of the city, most residents and refugees have fled, many to Rafah.
The last remaining city and refugee camp in Gaza is Rafah, a city along the enclave’s border with Egypt. Before the war, Rafah was home to 250,000 people. Currently 1.7 million Palestinians are packed into the city. Jens Laerke, a UN spokesperson for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, explained, “Rafah is now a pressure cooker of despair, and we fear for what happens next.”
“As soon as you arrive through Rafah, what hits you straight away is the immensity of the people who are displaced: every street, every pavement,” UN official James McGoldrick said earlier this month. “They also have these makeshift tents built onto the side of buildings encroaching on the roads. It’s very hard to move around. The place is really, really packed.”
Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting for Al-Jazeera from Rafah, said Palestinians are in disbelief at Gallant’s declaration and wondering where to go. “Now, with this statement by the Israeli defense minister, it seems they have no other place to go to,” Azzoum said, continuing, “People will not be able to find proper civil infrastructure to depend on if they return back again to these areas… It seems that we’ll have more death among civilians.”
It is unclear where Israel expects the Palestinians to go. Since the start of the conflict, the IDF has barred Palestinians from returning to areas has Israel conquered. Even if Palestinians were allowed to return, much of the infrastructure has been destroyed. Haaretz reports the IDF has even ordered soldiers to burn Palestinian homes to the ground when they withdraw from an area.
Gallant has claimed that Israel needs to attack Rafah to rescue hostages held by Hamas. “The great pressure that the forces exert on Hamas targets brings us closer to the return of the abductees, more than anything else,” he said. “We will continue until the end, there is no other way.”
The IDF has yet to rescue a signal hostage through its military operations in Gaza. The IDF has killed several hostages, including three who escaped and were waving white flags. Hamas has offered to release the hostages if Israel ends the war and allows aid into Gaza.
The IDF has killed at least 27,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 11,500 children in the past four months. Most of the buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. Most of the Strip’s hospitals are no longer functional. Women cannot safely give birth, and children undergo amputations without anesthesia.
While Israel has systematically destroyed the Strip and driven the Palestinians into famine, the White House has refused to pull the billions in military support the US provides to Tel Aviv. Although the White House claims it is pressuring Israel to take a more targeted military approach, a review of satellite images by the Guardian shows the Israel operations have destroyed most of the infrastructure in north and south Gaza, making it uninhabitable for the millions of Palestinians that live there.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Don’t miss the linked Guardian satellite images presentation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/jan/30/how-war-destroyed-gazas-neighbourhoods-visual-investigation?CMP=share_btn_tw
I posted this on Political Wire yesterday and it was removed as Spam. Pretty funny – and revealing – of the foul nest they’ve concocted for themselves.
Biden democrats have completely disgraced themselves.
Well, they can’t have have their site littered with attempts by troublemakers to spread “Mr. Putin’s message.” Just wait until the FBI comes to your door to investigate your “funding.”
Minister Gallant clearly enjoys his work. And there’s Pres. Biden snatching food from the starving children. Such a massively naked display of cruelty … a vast image out of spiritus mundi troubles the sight ….
The Israeli Zionists version of the “final solution”. Man oh man, Hitler, Goebbels, would be proud. Shooting people holding white flags, shooting up a car with a 6 year old Palestinians girl in it, begging for help, her relatives dead in that car (the call was horrible: her begging for help for hours, then her screaming and screaming while the sounds of a machine gun in the background………..then silence). Yes, they would snap a sharp NAZI salute.
And yet people deny the Hamas race riot that started all this.
Caitlin Johnson:
Israel has been the sole perpetrator of atrocities since October 7, so they keep “discovering” new atrocities Hamas perpetrated on October 7 to make it look less one-sided. Oh look they beheaded babies on October 7! Oh look there were mass rapes on October 7! Oh look UNRWA was involved in October 7! Etc.
It’s like Caitlin has been reading your comments.
How many dead Gazans does it take to equal the relatively few noncombatant Israelis actually killed by Hamas on 10-7? Last I heard we’re up over 26,000.
For anybody who has forgotten, canned goods have a barcode. The first three numbers indicate the country of origin. Israel’s is 729. BDS
You can also scan them with the “No thanks” app. Though I recommend doing it at home. These Zionist bastards and their informers seem to be everywhere these days. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bashsoftware.boycott&hl=en_GB
Unfortunately most computers will have to be boycotted as well.
During the 1930’s -The Zionist were the ultimate hypocrites for calling a boycott on all German made goods while they themselves continued trading with the Nazi’s under the Haavara ”ageement”.
For anybody who has forgotten, canned goods have a barcode. The first three numbers indicate the country of origin. Israel’s is 729. BDS
Moved.
This has nothing to do with the hostages, this is about forcing Egypt to open their border and allow the Palestinians in. Egypt needs to forcefully tell the USA, in no uncertain words, the border will NOT be opened. Palestinians know that if they leave, they will never be allowed back to claim their land, their homes. Israel has been working to this point, is should not be a surprise and I believe the US, EU, UK, have known this and why there has not been a cease fire. Israel needs to be STOPPED! If Israel succeeds, it will give other countries cart blanche to commit Genocide, Atrocities, on others and their own people. Humans will loose across the board when it comes to “Freedoms” of speech, protest, self defense, etc. We will have Nazi Regimes flourish!
Now Egypt is having serious issues with food, water scarcity and economic issues, they are in no position to accept a million new residents.
Saying this:
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was winning in Khan Younis, and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would move on to Rafah. “We are achieving our missions in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate terror elements that threaten us,” he proclaimed.
While knowing this:
Currently 1.7 million Palestinians are packed into the city.
And after all the dead bodies are counted the US will proclaim this:
the White House claims it is pressuring Israel to take a more targeted military approach