CAIRO Palestinians jammed into their last refuge in Gaza voiced growing fear on Feb 14 that Israel would soon launch a planned assault on the southern city of Rafah, after truce talks in Cairo ended inconclusively.
The talks in the Egyptian capital, involving the United States, Israel, Egypt and Qatar, ended without any sign of a breakthrough on Feb 13 and no date was announced for the next meeting.
The lack of an agreement has dealt a new blow to the more than one million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, next to the border with Egypt, where many are living in tent camps and makeshift shelters after fleeing Israeli bombardments elsewhere in Gaza.
The Israeli military says it wants to flush out Islamist militants from hideouts in Rafah and free hostages being held there after the Hamas rampage in Israel on Oct 7, but has given no details of a proposed plan to evacuate civilians.
“The news was disappointing. We hoped there could be a deal reached in Cairo. We are now counting down the days before Israel sends in tanks. We hope they don't, but who can prevent them?” Mr Said Jaber, a Gaza businessman who is sheltering in Rafah with his family, told Reuters via a chat app.
In the latest international plea for Israel to hold off on an assault on Rafah, the World Health Organisation WHO) warned of the danger of pushing Gaza’s health system closer to collapse.
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