All Eyes On Rafah: Israel intensifies assault, know current situation in Gaza city

PTC News Desk: Following an Israeli airstrike, at least 45 people—including children—were killed at a refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza. The incident caused international outrage and further isolated Israel due to the Gaza war, coming only days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to cease its operation in Rafah.

Late on Sunday night, Israel attacked Rafah, following hours of missile fire from Hamas towards the Tel Aviv region, the majority of which were intercepted.

Although the top UN court ordered Israeli forces to stop their operations there last week, they persisted in their assault on the border town, which was long thought to be the last remaining shelter in the territory.

Every Eye Is on Rafah

The expression “all eyes on Rafah” alludes to the continuous slaughter occurring in this city in Gaza. As international solidarity poured in for the Palestinians impacted by the Israeli strikes, the slogan became popular on social media.

Several famous people have posted condolences along with the hashtag #AllEyesOnRafah. The cry for awareness of the ongoing battle has gained traction with the use of this slogan. 

Prior to Israel intensifying its military operation on the Gaza side of the border earlier this month and seizing control of the crossing, Rafah served as a primary port of entry for humanitarian aid.

Over a million Palestinians have fled the fighting in Rafah; the majority of them were already displaced due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinians claim that throughout the past few months, they have been traveling up and down the Gaza Strip and are always at risk of Israeli attacks.

Hundreds of thousands had fled south to Rafah as Israeli forces ordered the northerners to leave before beginning operations in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Yunis.

Only one of the health facilities in Rafah is still operating as a result of Israeli shelling, according to a statement from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Humanitarian organizations worry that the fighting in Rafah has cut off the major routes for aid entering Gaza, potentially leading to a mounting disaster.

The Long-Attempted Rafah Incursion by Israel

Global leaders expressed their outrage and renewed fury over the Rafah offensive. Despite the worldwide outcry and the US warning, Israel pledged to continue with the Rafah strike.

The UN has repeatedly issued warnings about impending starvation, particularly in Gaza’s embattled north. Additionally, the UN Chief expressed his growing concern about hunger in the south since the Rafah assault.

Two senior Hamas operatives, Yassin Rabia and Khaled Nagar, were killed, according to the Israeli army, after their aircraft bombed a Hamas compound near Rafah. They recognized that there had been allegations of civilian injuries as a result of the strike and the ensuing fire and said that the issue was being looked into.

After a devastating hit on the Gazan metropolis, the US is under increasing pressure to adopt a more assertive stance. Concerns are growing over how long President Joe Biden will stand by while Israel attacks Rafah in defiance of an order from the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the UN, which both the US and Israel are members of.

According to security officials in Gaza, Israeli tanks are currently located “in central and southwest Rafah”.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas’s October 7 raid on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 persons, predominantly civilians. In Gaza, Israel’s counteroffensive has claimed the lives of at least 36,096 individuals.

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