Israeli Military Calls Operations In Rafah Limited Scale, Humanitarian Agency Highlights Refugee Suffering

Palestinians are displaced by the Hamas-Israeli conflict in Gaza. (Source: UNRWA/Ashraf Amra)

JAKARTA - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was only carrying out limited-scale operations in Rafah, despite issuing calls for civilians to flee, while humanitarian agencies highlighted the conditions of refugees who would suffer even more.

The Israeli military said the evacuation of residents and refugees in the eastern Rafah was not a massive step in the southern region of Gaza.

IDF international spokesman Colonel Nadav Shoshani said at a press conference Monday they "surprised the people of the East Rafah to move north."

When asked how long residents had to leave, Shoshani said,

"People have at least days to move," he said when asked how long residents had to evacuate.

"As I said, we have done it. We did a real-time situation assessment and assessed the situation," said Colonel Shoshani.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid agencies have warned Israel of the impact of a massive land invasion on Rafah

"Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death" to 1.2 million Palestinian refugees sheltering in and around the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office Jens Laerke said in Geneva.

Earlier, the Israeli military issued calls for residents of the eastern Rafah to "immediately evacuate," a day after Israel's defense minister told its Gaza troops there would be an "intensive action in Rafah in the near future."

Avichay Adraee, head of Arab media division at the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, wrote, For your safety, the Defense Army urges you to immediately evacuate to an extended humanitarian area in checkpoints.

Adraee issued an "emergency call" to people living in Al-Shawka and in the neighborhood around Al-Salam, Al-Jneina, Tiba Zaraa, and Al-Bayouk in the Rafah area.

"This is part of our plan to dissolve Hamas, and as I said, we received a strong reminder of their presence and operational capabilities and well-being yesterday and as part of our plan to separate ourselves from us and bring back our hostages," Colonel Shoshani said.

Even so, Colonel Shoshani did not want to comment on whether this evacuation had anything to do with the attack on the IDF soldiers yesterday.

"I don't want to specifically explain our ideas, plans, and operational time," he said.