Deal failed

Israeli military prepares offensive in Rafah

Israel's army in the Gaza Strip(Bild: AFP )

Israel's government considers the indirect negotiations with Hamas on a ceasefire and the release of hostages to have failed. The military is already preparing the threatened offensive in Rafah. On Monday, it began evacuating residents to a camp on the Mediterranean (see video above).

According to the Israeli military, around 100,000 people are affected. There is food, water and medicine in the camp, said a military spokesperson. Field hospitals have also been set up. The spokesperson was unable to say how much time the people have to evacuate.

Israel's government wants to use the military operation in Rafah to smash the remaining battalions of the terrorist organization Hamas. Hostages are also believed to be held in the town near the border with Egypt. According to Israel, the offensive is unavoidable in order to destroy Hamas' fighting capabilities. Otherwise it could regain strength once the war begins.

Here you can see an overview of the situation in the southern Gaza Strip.

Hamas is said to have prepared itself
Hamas is said to have prepared its fighters and supplied them with provisions and weapons. In addition, the Israeli hostages are said to already be under increased guard. According to the Wall Street Journal, the ground offensive is to be carried out in three stages. The newspaper wrote of two to three weeks of evacuation and six weeks of offensive.

Israel's army in the Gaza Strip(Bild: AFP )

Palestinian women with a small child in Rafah(Bild: AFP/Sophie Chauveau)

Palestinians in a destroyed house(Bild: AFP/APA)

The USA and other allies of Israel have been urgently warning against an offensive in Rafah for months. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian internally displaced persons are living there. Egypt's government, for example, fears that there could be a rush of Palestinians across the border. Another counter-argument is that fierce fighting could make the delivery of food, medicine and fuel even more difficult.

One last chance?
Although preparations for a ground offensive in Rafah are already underway, the head of the US foreign intelligence agency CIA wants to push for a last-minute agreement with Hamas. He had accompanied the talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Cairo and has now traveled to Qatar for further talks. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already said that Rafah will be attacked even if a deal is reached.