About 1.3 million displaced people gather in Rafah (French)

A leading source in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) warned Israel on Sunday that any military operation it might launch against the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip would lead to “torpedoing” negotiations related to the exchange of prisoners.

Al-Aqsa TV quoted the Hamas leader - without naming him - that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “trying to evade the entitlements of the exchange deal, by committing genocide and a new humanitarian disaster in Rafah.”

In turn, a leading source in the Palestinian factions told Shehab News Agency, “In the face of the occupation’s threats of a military operation in Rafah, the Egyptian role is the most important to stop the aggression, especially since the operation affects Egyptian national security.”

The source called on "the Egyptian leadership to visit the Palestinian-Egyptian border to see first-hand the dangers affecting Arab national security," calling on "the Egyptian leadership to move immediately to thwart the military operation and the occupation's plans."

He pointed out that "the occupation's threats to launch a military operation in Rafah expose more than one and a half million displaced people to genocide," pointing out that "the battle will be at Egypt's gates, and this will threaten Egyptian sovereignty and national security."

Netanyahu's threats

Netanyahu's office said that he ordered the army to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah and eliminate 4 Hamas brigades that he says are deployed there.

In an interview with the American ABC News Channel, Netanyahu said, “Those who say that we should never enter Rafah are actually telling us that we should lose the war and leave Hamas there.”

The Israeli army ordered civilians to head south before launching previous attacks on cities in the Gaza Strip, but at the present time there is no clear escape, and relief agencies say many may die.

About 1.3 million displaced people, or more than half of the population of the besieged Strip, are gathering in Rafah, which borders Egypt, but after the failure of ceasefire talks, Netanyahu said a few days ago that Israeli forces will fight until “clear victory” is achieved.

Several warning positions were issued to Israel, most notably at the international level by the United States, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell, Germany, France, and Britain, in addition to Arab countries led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Jordan.

Until Saturday, the ground operation reached Khan Yunis, and did not extend to Rafah, although the Israeli occupation army carried out air strikes and extensive artillery shelling on sites in Rafah since the beginning of the war on the seventh of last October.

Since then, the occupation army has launched a devastating war on Gaza, which has so far led to the martyrdom of more than 28,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, and about 70,000 wounded, in addition to the destruction of the cities of the Strip and the displacement and starvation of its residents.

Source: Agencies