Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an imminent offensive in Rafah in the south of the enclave, where more than a million Palestinians are refugees.
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In Rafah, 1.5 million displaced people expect the worst. On Wednesday February 7, the Israeli Prime Minister asked his army to prepare for an offensive in this town in the very south of Gaza, on the border with Egypt. Talks in Cairo, Egypt, resumed on Tuesday February 13 with delegations from Israel, Hamas and the United States around the table who hope to be able to channel the Israeli offensive.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres fears “incalculable regional consequences” while calls for help are increasing, particularly on social networks. Daiana Al Bukhari has 35,000 followers on Instagram. At the start of the war, she left Gaza City for Deir Al Balah, in the center of the enclave, where her shelter was bombed. She has now found refuge in a school in Rafah, without water or electricity. “The Israeli army is expected to arrive in Rafah very soon”testifies the young woman in a video published Wednesday February 13 on her Instagram account.
“People here are depressed and they are suffering because they have lost everythingsays Daiana Al Bukhari. We hear the sound of bombing all the time, and every day it gets a little closer.”
Where to take refuge?
Asma also fled the fighting. She was in Khan Younes, about fifteen kilometers northwest of Rafah. She has been living with her sister for several weeks. For her, the rescue operation
of Israeli hostages, Monday February 12, changed the situation. “After the Rafah operation, I think Netanyahu is going to be stronger and stronger in government in front of the Americans, in front of everyone.” According to her, the release of the two hostages gives “green light to return to Rafah and carry out operations”.
So we’ll probably have to leave. It would be the third time for Daiana, the second for Asma. Except that no one knows where or how. Israel has promised evacuation plans, but the American ally and the displaced people of Rafah are still waiting for them.