Rafah: The Israeli army enters the city – a night of terror in the Gaza Strip

The “zero hour” has arrived for Rafah and the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced to gather in the Gaza Strip city.

The IDF operation is being carried out, after the approval they obtained from the country’s War Council, as decided at the body’s meeting held in the capital of Israel: Tel Aviv.

Israeli forces are penetrating deeper into the city, which is inhabited by 1.4 million Palestinians

Fierce fighting is taking place in eastern Rafah, where Hamas fighters ambushed tanks and forces using explosive devices, rockets, and sniper fire, while Israeli forces penetrated deep into the city, which has a population of 1.4 million Palestinians.

Rafah bombing:

R.T @swilkinsonbc « More than 8,000 Palestinians are missing and whose fate is unknown in Rafah as the Israeli bombing continues until the night. pic.twitter.com/OQOcVTjWgg“

– Richard Hardigan (@RichardHardigan) May 11, 2024

Israeli tanks close the city of Rafah from the south and complete the encirclement of the “Red Zone.” A “rain” of Israeli bombs falls on Rafah. Civilians suffer from IDF bombing. International news networks reported that Israeli warplanes were sweeping Palestinian airspace and spreading terror in the besieged city.

At least 14 #Palestinians They were martyred today, Saturday, when Israeli warplanes bombed a house and two civilian gatherings there #Rafahin the south #Gaza Strips. https://t.co/H0DcSA6z7z

— News (@news) May 11, 2024

The goal of this operation, according to the narrative developed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, is to locate and kill the head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, who is believed to have planned and directed the October 7 operation. 2023 attack on Israel.

The Israeli army also ordered the evacuation of 150,000 residents of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip from the refugee camp there, before the start of the Rafah operation.

Severe reactions

Severe reactions. Today (5/11), Egypt refused to cooperate with Israel regarding the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip from the Rafah crossing, due to the “unacceptable escalation” on the part of Israel, according to the Egyptian Cairo Satellite News Network, citing senior officials. Official.

At the same time, France calls on Israel to “immediately” stop its military operation in Rafah, which threatens to create a “catastrophic situation” for the residents of the Gaza Strip, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a message sent yesterday via the platform. X (formerly Twitter).

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that it “calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately stop this military operation and return to the path of negotiations, which is the only path that can lead to the immediate release of the hostages and the achievement of a sustainable truce.”

“Delicate counter-terrorism operation”

In defiance of international warnings, Israeli armed forces are launching “targeted” operations in eastern Rafah, while closing the border crossing with Egypt – a critical entry point for delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli army speaks of a “delicate anti-terrorism operation” in specific areas east of Rafah, where “nuclei of terrorists” are being eliminated.

John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said on Friday that the United States was “watching with concern” the military operation in Rafah.

In every corner of the globe, people are protesting the massacre in Rafah and demanding an end to it. Here are shots from the demonstration that took place in Toronto today.

We raise our voices and chant for #Gazal #Rafahl #Free Palestine #Toronto pic.twitter.com/UcnnDRXmMB

– Mai Badawy (@Mai_Badawy) May 11, 2024

Earlier today, the Israeli army also asked residents of other neighborhoods in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, to move away from there and move to the “expanded humanitarian area” in Al-Mawashi, according to what was published on the X website by a representative of the armed forces.

About 300,000 people fled Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip before the start of the Israeli army’s ground operation.