Israeli Airstrikes Ravage Rafah, Leaving Dozens Dead and Prompts Fear of Ground Offensive
In a devastating turn of events, the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory in southern Gaza has reported that at least 52 people were killed in heavy Israeli airstrikes on Rafah before dawn on Monday. The densely populated area, where nearly half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge after fleeing shelling in other parts of the Strip, bore the brunt of the attacks.
AFP photographers and witnesses on the ground observed a series of intense strikes, with plumes of smoke billowing over Rafah. The Hamas administration alleges that the targets included three mosques and fourteen homes across various districts of Rafah.
On Monday, the Israeli military released a statement claiming to have “conducted a series of strikes on terror targets in the area of Shaboura in the southern Gaza Strip” and asserted the completion of the operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly ordered the army to prepare for a ground offensive on Rafah, the last major population center in Gaza that remains untouched by troops since the outbreak of hostilities following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
The situation in Rafah is dire, with approximately 1.4 million Palestinians crowded into the city. Many residents are living in tents, and essential resources such as food, water, and medicine are becoming increasingly scarce. As tensions escalate, the specter of a potential ground offensive looms over the already devastated region.