Israel’s military is demolishing the remaining structures of Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge, according to residents, amid fears that this is part of a plan to forcibly concentrate the population in a vast, isolated camp on the destroyed land.
For nearly two months, the 2.3 million people living in Gaza have had no access to food or medical supplies after Israel imposed its longest-ever total blockade, following the collapse of a six-week ceasefire in early March.
Since reinitiating its ground offensive in mid-March, Israel has captured significant territory and ordered residents to vacate areas it deems “buffer zones,” including around 20% of Gaza, which comprises the city of Rafah.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Saturday that the military is establishing a new “humanitarian zone” in Rafah, where civilians would be relocated after security checks to exclude Hamas fighters. Aid would then be distributed by private companies. The Israeli military has yet to comment on the matter.
Residents describe a constant barrage of explosions from the ruins of Rafah, once home to 300,000 people. Tamer, a displaced resident now in Deir Al-Balah, said explosions could be heard nonstop, even disturbing those living across the border in Egypt. “Rafah is gone,” he told Reuters.
Abu Mohammed, another displaced resident, expressed fear that the destruction is part of an effort to herd Gaza’s population into what he described as a “concentration camp,” sealed off from the rest of the world.
Since the blockade was reinstated on March 2, Israel insists that the supplies provided during the six-week truce were sufficient, asserting that any new shipments would be exploited by Hamas. However, United Nations agencies have warned that Gaza is on the brink of mass starvation and disease, with conditions worse than at any point since the war’s outbreak in October 2023.
Monday saw at least 23 more casualties from Israeli airstrikes across Gaza. In one attack, 10 people, including children, died when an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Jabalia, while six others were killed in a strike on a café in southern Gaza. Disturbing social media footage showed critically injured victims seated around a table at the café.
Efforts by Qatar and Egypt to extend the ceasefire have stalled, while humanitarian efforts are stretched thin. The World Food Programme announced on Friday that it has run out of food supplies in Gaza due to the prolonged closure.
Desperate, some residents are foraging for weeds, leaves, or even turning to fishing for turtles to survive. One woman from Gaza City told Reuters she had been advised to undergo surgery for kidney stones but could not afford it, opting to buy food for her children instead. “There is no meat, no cooking gas, no flour, and no life. This is Gaza, in simple but painful terms.”
The conflict began in October 2023 when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 51,400 people, according to Palestinian health officials.