“The catastrophe we are experiencing is the worst ever.”

Continue The large exodus of Palestinians from Rafahsouthern Gaza Strip, Under the threat of an Israeli ground attack wide range.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said yesterday, Wednesday (5/15), that the Palestinian Islamic Movement, which took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to destroy, “will remain,” and that this is both the case. It will take decisions with the other factions “on post-war governance in Gaza.”

the Ismail Haniyeh He added that the future of indirect ceasefire negotiations is uncertain because Israel “insists on controlling the Rafah crossing and expanding its attack” in the Palestinian Strip.

This came during a speech broadcast live on television. After more than seven months of war, The day the Palestinians remember the Nakba, “the catastrophe,” It also describes the forced exodus of the Arab population after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Many of the residents of the Strip, threatened by famine and who have been forcibly displaced repeatedly since the outbreak of war between the Israeli army and Hamas, have once again taken to the streets in search of refuge, despite “There is no safe place in Gaza», As the United Nations notes.

the Benjamin Netanyahu He insists that he has been announcing for months that he is determined to order a large-scale ground attack on Rafah, on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, where he says the “last” ranks of Hamas’ military wing are holed up.

Expressing its concern for the fate of the civilian population, the United States, like other capitals, confirms that it opposes such an operation in the city, which has turned into a large camp for the displaced.

“Disagreement” with Washington

Mr. Netanyahu He declares that his country’s armed forces prevented a “humanitarian catastrophe” in RafahAfter “about half a million” Palestinians were removed from the combat zone.

the The Israeli Armed Forces have been carrying out operations in the eastern sectors of the city since May 7.

«76 Years after the Nakba, Palestinians are still subjected to forced displacement. In the Gaza Strip, 600,000 people fled Rafah as military operations intensifiedFor its part, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirmed.

USA President Joe Biden Last week, the United States threatened to restrict military aid to Israel, a key US ally in the Middle East, due to concerns about the civilian population in Rafah. However, the US government notified Congress yesterday that it would proceed with the delivery of a package of military equipment worth approximately one billion dollars, which will include, in particular, shells for tank guns, to the Israeli armed forces.

In an interview with the American television network CNBC, Dr. said: The Israeli Prime Minister admitted that there was a “disagreement” with the Biden administration For Rafa. “But we have to do what we have to do“, he insisted.

the European Union For its part, Israel called for an “immediate cessation” of its operations in Rafah, warning that if it did not do so, it would put bilateral relations before a “severe test.”

“The Nakba we are experiencing (…) is the worst ever. Much more difficult than 1948said Muhammad Al-Farra (42 years old), who was actually forced to take his family and flee their home in Khan Yunis (south) to escape the bombing and fighting. Much of this city has turned into ruins.

In the Nakba, approximately 760,000 Arabs in Palestine were forced into exile and took refuge in neighboring countries or what gradually became the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“Intense” battles.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse and eyewitnesses spoke of air strikes, artillery shelling, and battles in Rafah, Jabalia (north), and Al-Zaytoun, a suburb of Gaza City.

Hamas reported clashes with Israeli forces in Jabalia. The Israeli Armed Forces confirmed that “violent” fighting had taken place. There, he confirmed that they had killed “a large number of terrorists.”

Hostilities also continued in “designated areas” east of Rafah, where the Israeli Armed Forces said they were carrying out an operation against a “training center” for the military wing of Hamas, a movement classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union. .

The war broke out after an unprecedented raid launched by the military arm of Hamas based in the Gaza Strip on October 7 on the southern regions of Israeli territory, killing more than 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to a French census based on official data. More than 250 other people were kidnapped and transferred to the Palestinian enclave, where 128 remain, but at least 36 of them are believed to have died, according to the Israeli military.

In response, Israel has since carried out military operations that have caused massive destruction in the Gaza Strip. During the eighth month of the war, at least 35,233 people have been killed, most of them civilians, according to the latest count from Hamas. Ministry of Health.

despite of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says he does not want to talk about the future of the Gaza Strip “before Hamas is eliminated.” Defense Minister Yoav Glad stressed that he opposes the idea of ​​Israel exercising military or political “control” after the end of the war, and added that he prefers a Palestinian alternative to Hamas.

Waiting for help

After Israeli army units entered the Rafah sectors with tanks on May 7 and overran the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt, which is crucial for the delivery of humanitarian aid, the flow stopped.

Fuel, which is absolutely necessary to operate basic infrastructure as well as to transport vehicles with humanitarian aid, is no longer imported. Israel and Egypt blame each other, and vice versa. Aid was also blocked at Kerem Shalom, the main crossing point for aid from Israel.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called yesterday through X “To reopen the Rafah crossing immediately.”. Without avail.

Yesterday, Britain announced that a ship carrying more than 100,000 dead had sailed from Cyprus One hundred tons of humanitarian aid to GazaIt will land in the artificial port built by the US Army and is expected to become “ready for operation” within “days,” according to the Pentagon.

“Hundreds of tonsBrad Cooper, an officer serving in the US Joint Command for the Middle East (CENTCOM), confirmed that aid would reach the enclave after it was opened.