Rafah offensive
Ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On 6 May 2024, Israel began a military offensive in and around the city of Rafah as part of its invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war.
Rafah offensive | |||||||
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Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war | |||||||
Israeli tanks at the Rafah crossing | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Israel |
Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Yaron Finkelman[2] Itzik Cohen[3] Benny Aharon[4] |
Yassin Rabia † (Per Israel) Khaled Nagar † (Per Israel) | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 4 battalions (per Israel)[18] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Per Israel: 6 soldiers,[19][20][21] 1 Defense Ministry contractor killed[13] 43 soldiers,[lower-alpha 2] 2 Defense Ministry employees injured[13] |
Per Israel: 300 militants killed[27] | ||||||
209+ Palestinian civilians killed,[lower-alpha 3] 286+ injured[lower-alpha 4] 1 UN staff member killed,[40] 1 WHO staff member injured[28] 2 Egyptian border guards killed[41] 3 Israeli civilians injured[42][43] ~1,000,000 Palestinians displaced (est.)[44] |
Before the offensive, about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians from elsewhere in the Gaza Strip had sought shelter in Rafah. In February, Israel announced its intent to invade in order to eliminate Hamas brigades it said were in the city.[45] In early May, as ceasefire negotiations stalled, Israel prepared for an operation and ordered the evacuation of eastern Rafah.[46][47] On 6 May, Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar,[48][49] but its terms were rejected by Israel, which indicated it would continue its operation before a pause.[50]
After the rejection, Israel conducted airstrikes on Rafah, entered the edges of the city, and seized the Rafah crossing, closing it.[48][51][52] The IDF entered populated areas of the city on 14 May.[53] Israel stated that the operation would not stop unless Hamas was eliminated or hostages were released.[54] On 24 May, the International Court of Justice ordered an immediate halt to the offensive,[55] a position rejected by Israel.
The humanitarian impact of Israeli operations has been high. An estimated 950,000 Palestinians were evacuated to zones alleged to be unsafe and lacking in supplies.[56][57] Almost 210 Palestinians were killed and 280 injured during Israeli strikes.[lower-alpha 5] Hospitals were in poor condition due to Israeli attacks and lack of supplies.[58][59] In addition, events relating to the offensive resulted in the temporary closures of the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.[60]