Palestinian Groups Sound Alarm As Israeli Forces Advance on Rafah

"Recent statements from top Israeli military officials and the observed pattern on the ground strongly suggest an imminent assault on Rafah, reminiscent of the destructive actions witnessed in Khan Younis and throughout northern Gaza in the past four months," the groups said. "Such an attack could result in an unprecedented loss of Palestinian lives."

"Everywhere you go, people are desperate, hungry, and terrified."

Late last week, Israeli regime minister Yoav Gallant claimed on social media that the "Khan Younis Brigade" of Hamas has been "dismantled" and that "we complete the mission and will continue to Rafah."

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)—whose Gaza operations are at risk of total collapse after the US and more than a dozen other countries cut off aid—said Monday that intense fighting in and around Khan Younis over the past two weeks has forced many Palestinians to "flee further south towards Rafah, which is severely overcrowded." UN experts last week described the city as a "pressure cooker of despair."

After visiting Rafah last month, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that "everywhere you look is congested with makeshift shelters."

"Everywhere you go, people are desperate, hungry, and terrified," said Lazzarini. "People—and this is also something completely new—people are stopping aid trucks, taking the food, and eating it right away. This is how desperate and hungry they are. I witnessed this firsthand."

Israeli regime officials have said they will attempt to ensure that civilians evacuate from Rafah before any invasion of the city, but it's unclear to where hundreds of thousands of people will be able to safely flee. Israel's military has repeatedly instructed Gazans to evacuate to a certain area—including Rafah—shortly before attacking it.

In their joint statement on Monday, PCHR, Al Mezan, and Al-Haq called on the UN Security Council, the head of the UN, the International Criminal Court, and other global institutions to "utilize all available means to prevent a new Nakba and bring an end to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza."

They also emphasized the "potential complicity" of Israel's allies "in the crime of genocide through unwavering military and political support or failure to prevent genocide."

"We urge them to fulfill their legal obligations, act promptly to protect Palestinians, halt mass killings, and bring an end to the genocidal acts that have persisted for the past four months," the groups said.

The Israeli military has launched a new “clearing operation” in central and northern Gaza City involving a “division-size” force, according to two US-based military think tanks.

Israel’s return to clear areas of Gaza City, which it had declared cleared of major Palestinian fighting forces in December, follows assessments by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) that Palestinian resistance fighters were infiltrating back into the city to re-establish areas of control.