Israeli forces struck the outskirts of the last refuge at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip today, Friday. Displaced people, who gathered in numbers reaching hundreds of thousands near the border fence with Egypt, expressed fears of a new assault as they have nowhere left to flee. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million inhabitants are now homeless, crowding into Rafah. Thousands have arrived in recent days, carrying their belongings and pulling children in carts, following one of the largest assaults of the war last week aimed at seizing Khan Younis, the major city in the southern part of the Strip, which lies directly north of Rafah.
Imad, a 55-year-old businessman and father of six, said via a mobile chat application, "If this happens, we will be left with two options: stay and die or climb the wall to Egypt." He added, "The majority of Gaza's people are in Rafah, so if the tanks invade, it will be a massacre unlike anything experienced during this war."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated late Thursday that "the forces will now turn to Rafah, which is, along with Deir al-Balah located directly north of Khan Younis, one of the last remaining areas not yet invaded in the ongoing offensive that has lasted for nearly four months." Gallant's statement emphasized, "We are completing our mission in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah to eliminate the terrorist elements that threaten us."
As the only part of Gaza receiving limited food and medical aid across the border, Rafah and neighboring areas in Khan Younis have turned into a hub of temporary tents. Winds and cold weather have exacerbated the misery, with winds knocking tents over and rain flooding them, turning the area into puddles of mud. Umm Badri, a mother of five displaced from Gaza City, now living in a tent in Khan Younis, said in a phone conversation, "What can we do? We are living through multiple tragedies—war, starvation, and rain." She added, "We always used to wait for winter to watch the rain fall from our balcony; our home is gone, and the rain has flooded the tent."
**Ceasefire Proposal**
The war in Gaza erupted after an attack by militants from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 253 hostages, according to Israeli statistics. Health authorities in Gaza report that the total number of confirmed dead has surpassed 27,000 Palestinians, while thousands of bodies remain under the rubble due to the Israeli assault that has devastated most of the territory.
Mediators are waiting for Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, to respond to a proposal drafted last week with the heads of Israeli and American intelligence, conveyed by Egypt and Qatar, for the first long-term ceasefire in the war. Residents hope this will lead to a halt in fighting before tanks enter Rafah.
Gunfire was briefly heard in Gaza yesterday, Thursday, in celebration of reports from Arab media citing a Qatari official indicating that "a ceasefire is imminent." However, Qatar clarified that no agreement has yet been reached. The only ceasefire that had been agreed upon lasted no more than a week in late November when Hamas released 110 women, children, and foreign hostages.
The current proposal on the table is for a much longer halt to hostilities, allowing aid to reach the territory and enabling Gazans to return to their homes. A Palestinian official stated that it includes a first phase lasting 40 days, during which Hamas would release the remaining civilian hostages, followed by other phases for the release of captured soldiers and the return of the bodies of deceased hostages. However, the views of both sides remain far apart about what will happen next.
Israel asserts that Hamas must be eliminated before its forces withdraw from Gaza or release detainees. Hamas rejects the disbanding of the movement and states it will not sign any ceasefire agreement or release hostages without an agreement for Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war.
**Regional Tensions**
The Middle East region is also experiencing heightened tension regarding potential U.S. strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria and Iraq, which could lead to further escalation following the deaths of three American soldiers last Saturday in a drone strike in Jordan. Washington stated it is preparing to respond to the attack—marking the first time its soldiers have been killed amid a surge of violence from Iran-aligned groups across the region since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure to react decisively without igniting a broader war with Iran, stated he has already decided on the nature of the response, which American officials say will involve strikes over several days. Tehran has indicated it will respond. President Ibrahim Raisi stated in a speech broadcast on television, "We will not initiate any war, but if anyone wants to bully us, they will receive a strong response."
Since December, several senior leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, who are advising the Syrian government, have been killed in what are believed to be Israeli airstrikes on Syria. Iranian semi-official media reported today that one Revolutionary Guard advisor was killed in another Israeli strike on Damascus. Syrian state media reported that "Syria intercepted missiles launched by Israel." Israel declined to comment, which is its usual policy in such matters.
Reuters reported yesterday, Thursday, that Iran has reduced the deployment of the Revolutionary Guard in Syria amidst the Israeli strikes. Iran-aligned "Hezbollah Brigades" in Iraq, accused by the U.S. of responsibility for the attack on its forces in Jordan, announced they would temporarily halt military operations against the U.S. to avoid embarrassing the Baghdad government. However, the Iraqi al-Nujaba Movement, which has also been targeted by U.S. airstrikes since the onset of the Gaza war, stated today that it will continue to attack American forces.
