A senior UN official told the Wall Street Journal that "evacuating civilians from the city of Rafah in southern Gaza ahead of a potential Israeli attack will take at least 10 days." The official, who was not named, added that "things could move faster if civilians were moved to Egypt, despite Cairo's opposition to any such step." This comes as Israel claims it is about to commence an operation to invade the crowded city of displaced people.
Israel had previously stated that it "has prepared plans to protect and evacuate civilians prior to any operation." Analysts estimated that the evacuation process could take weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday that "the Israeli army will enter Rafah with or without an agreement," emphasizing that halting the war before achieving its objectives is out of the question. This refers to the Egyptian proposal regarding a prisoner exchange and ceasefire in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.
In the same context, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, confirmed that the Israeli army has not yet requested residents to evacuate Rafah, highlighting "great concern in Gaza over a military attack in Rafah."
