'Bloodbath' fears as Israel prepares to invade Rafah

'Bloodbath' warning as Israel prepares for ground offensive in city of Rafah

- Peter Beaumont , Emine Sinmaz & Patrick Wintour

Israel moved closer to a full-scale ground off ensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah yesterday, when the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered military leaders to present a plan to evacuate civilians from the area.

Despite warnings from a senior aid offi cial that an assault on Rafah, where about 1.3 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, would lead to a “bloodbath” , Israeli authorities appeared determined to push ahead.

"It is impossible to achieve the war goal of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah," Netanyahu said in a statement, rejecting a warning from the Biden administration that it could not support an offensive against Rafah. "On the other hand, it is clear that a massive operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat zones." With more than half of Gaza already under evacuation orders and destruction throughout the strip, it was unclear where such a large number of people could safely move to.

"No war can be allowed in a gigantic refugee camp," said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, warning of a "bloodbath" if Israeli operations expanded there.

AUN spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said civilians in Rafah needed to be protected, and the United Nations urged against any forced mass displacement.

The warnings came as the UN special rapporteur on the occupied territories said Israel appeared to be in breach of the orders issued two weeks ago by the International Court of justice, including to increase the supply of humanitarian aid to the territory and to take all possible measures to prevent, within the scope of the genocide convention, the killing of Palestinians.