Displaced Palestinians in Rafah say they are preparing for the worst
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah say they are preparing for the worst, including death, as Israel plans to bring a military operation to Gaza’s southernmost city.
Nearly 1.5 million people are currently in Rafah, which is more than six times the city’s population before Oct. 7, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Fatima Elfag’awi and her two young children were displaced from their home in Khan Younis. After temporarily finding shelter with different family members, they are now stuck on the streets of Rafah without a tent.
News of Israel’s offensive in the southern city has left the mother wondering where her family can go.
“No, I am not leaving,” Elfag’awi said. “We were displaced from Khan Younis. Where should we go?”
“We will die here, that’s it, in the streets,” she said.
Ahmed Shael, 72, was also displaced from Khan Younis.
“It is so crowded here,” Shael said. “Everyone is scared that this invasion will lead to a catastrophe in the country because of how many people there are.”
Shael says people were displaced to Rafah with the understanding that they would be safe, only to be killed there by Israeli bombardment.
“So, either way, we are going to die, so it is better to remain steadfast in our place,” he said. “There is no alternative. The alternative is to die. Here, there, you will be martyred. Martyrdom is everywhere.”
Ismael Bakir called on the international community to help end the war that’s caused so much destruction and death in Gaza.
“There isn’t a place we haven’t been displaced to, no place left,” Bakir said. “What can we do? Have mercy upon us, people. Have mercy upon us, world.”
83 people killed in Gaza in last 24 hours, 125 injured, Gaza Ministry of Health says
A total of 83 people were killed in Gaza in the last 24 hours and 125 were injured, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
“A number of victims are still under rubble and on the roads, and the occupation prevents ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
Vice President Kamala Harris warns Israel not to attack Rafah
MUNICH — Vice President Kamala Harris warned Israel over its planned ground offensive in Rafah in an exclusive interview with NBC News’s Andrea Mitchell at the Munich Security Conference today.
“Israel has the right to defend itself. However, how it does so matters,” the Vice President said.
Harris condemned the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and “rape being used as a tool of war.” She said it is “critically important” to get a hostage deal and that the US are working on it “around the clock.”
At the same time, “too many” Palestinians have been killed, she said. Around 1.4 million people are currently trapped in the city of Rafah, many of whom have already fled attacks in northern Gaza. “I’m very concerned where they would go,” the Vice President told NBC News. “There are steps we need to take now”.
IDF operation at Nasser Hospital sees at least 100 people detained
TEL AVIV – The Israel Defense Forces’ operation at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis today days after it was launched on Thursday.
In an update this morning, the IDF said soldiers had apprehended at least 100 people it said were “suspected of terrorist activity in the Nasser Hospital.” The IDF confirmed to NBC News that as of this afternoon, the operation continued.
On Thursday, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces were launching the raid on the hospital in response to “credible intelligence from a number of sources, including from released hostages, indicating that Hamas held hostages” there. He said the intelligence indicated the bodies of killed hostages may have also been in the facility.
It was not clear whether any evidence of hostages being held at Nasser Hospital had emerged as of today. In its statement today, the IDF said only that the operation continued “based on IDF intelligence indicating that Hamas terrorist activity is being carried out from within the hospital.”
Many displaced Palestinians who had taken refuge at the hospital fled on Wednesday after the IDF said it issued warnings for people to evacuate. It said medical workers and patients would not have to leave the facility, however.
Palestinian health authorities in Gaza said at least five patients died due to a lack of oxygen and power outages during the offensive. NBC News was not immediately able to independently verify the claim.
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