2024-02-16T13:56:44+00:00
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/ A report by the Wall Street Journal confirmed on Friday that Egypt is building a buffer zone of 20 square kilometers, near its border with the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian officials said the area being built could accommodate more than 100,000 people and is surrounded by concrete walls, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The officials added that the construction of the area comes amid fears that the Israeli military incursion into Rafah will lead to an influx of refugees from Gaza.
Israel faces growing warnings from allies and critics that its promised ground offensive in Rafah, a last resort that has seen its population quintuple in months, will lead to a civilian bloodbath.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed again on Wednesday to attack Rafah, saying Hamas had woven its remaining brigades, weapons and smuggling routes throughout the city.
Netanyahu ordered his commanders to draw up plans to move civilians out of harm’s way, but participants in the discussions acknowledged that practical options remained out of reach.
An Israeli official said planning for the evacuation was underway, but no final plan had been approved.
An Israeli proposal to create a series of camps along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast that could hold more than 350,000 tents was not enough to mollify critics when it was presented recently in Cairo.
Another Israeli proposal under consideration seeks to keep civilians away from Rafah by funneling aid through the now-closed Israeli Erez crossing, near Gaza City, and allowing families to return north, a source familiar with the Israeli discussions within the security cabinet said, according to the Washington Post.
“The area has been devastated by months of air strikes and ground fighting, but it is estimated that more than 100,000 Gazans remain there, and many in the south are eager to return to what remains of their communities,” he explained.
“But the idea faced immediate political opposition within the security cabinet,” the source said.
He described the objection within the Israeli war cabinet, saying: “Why should the people of Gaza be allowed to return to their homes while the Israelis are still unable to return to their homes. More than 300,000 Israelis are still displaced from towns along the Gaza-Lebanon border.”