Palestinian suffering and endurance in Gaza echo the Nakba
Al JazeeraFeb 18
Israel Warns of Rafah Assault by Ramadan
Image copyright: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Israel has warned that if Hamas doesn't release Israeli hostages by March 10, the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, then it will invade the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Foreign Minister Benny Gantz said Gaza can "celebrate Ramadan" if Hamas surrenders and releases the "abductees."
This follows Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's statement that the military was already preparing to target the city of 1M people, which is also currently housing upwards of 1.3M displaced Palestinians. While Israel hasn't offered specific plans, one defense official said they would have to screen each civilian before sending them north to tent cities; another said they could make a floating jetty to import humanitarian aid.
The Spin
Pro-Palestine narrative
What Israel is currently doing to Palestine is nothing new. Going back to Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba, Israel's goal has always been to displace and kill civilians through starvation and military assaults to achieve its goal of complete dominance over the region. Based on historical precedent, there is a tremendous concern for Rafah if Israel isn't told to stop.
Pro-Israel narrative
As far as historical precedent is concerned, Hamas has a long history of luring mass groups of Palestinians into tightly packed cities — this time Rafah — so that it can later blame Israel when civilians die in the crossfire. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have called for a cease-fire in exchange for a hostage release, but Hamas is hindering these efforts through its continued attacks and flagrant use of human shields.
Nerd narrative
There's a 59% chance that Israel will have de facto power in the Gaza Strip on Jan. 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.