By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – As Israel observed Passover on Wednesday, its military stepped up efforts to pressure Hamas to free hostages during this holiday period as it prepared to invade Rafah, one of the last standing cities in the Gaza Strip.
Satellite images appeared to show Israel building a tent city as it prepares to evacuate more than one million Palestinians who have sought refuge in Rafah.
Yet a Palestinian health official later said the tent camp was being set up to house displaced people who are currently sheltering in a hospital and “is not related” to any impending military operation.
Ahead of the expected invasion into the southern Gaza City, troops were also active in the north of Gaza as part of declared efforts to surround and destroy Hamas.
Broadcaster Al Jazeera, which Israel has accused of biased reporting, said “fears are rising” for tens of thousands of civilians in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya as Israeli troops attack the city “with extreme force” and order Palestinians to flee immediately.
It added that three family members were killed and four wounded after an Israeli air strike destroyed their home in southern Rafah city.
The news came amid reports that Gaza medics continue to search for bodies on the grounds of Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, where more than 300 bodies have been recovered so far.
‘BASELESS, UNFOUNDED’
Israel’s military said claims that it buried bodies in a mass grave there were “baseless and unfounded.”
But it did say that during a two-week operation at the hospital in February, troops “examined” bodies buried by Palestinians.
“The examination was conducted in a careful manner and exclusively in places where intelligence indicated the possible presence of hostages. The examination was carried out respectfully while maintaining the dignity of the deceased,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said he was “horrified” by “the destruction” of the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza that Israel claims have been used by Hamas for its military operations.
At least 34,262 Palestinians have been killed and 77,229 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
These figures have been impossible to verify independently, and the Hamas authorities do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
Israel says it launched the war in Gaza after it was attacked on October 7 when Hamas killed some 1,200 people and took hundreds as hostages.
ENTERING RAFAH
With frustration mounting over the roughly 130 hostages still held, Israel’s military appeared to prepare to enter Rafah.
The presence of a massive tent city nearby underscored the struggle to find shelter in Gaza, where some 80 percent of people have fled their homes, according to Palestinian officials and aid workers.
More than half of the territory’s population of roughly 2.3 million sought refuge in Rafah, according to several estimates.
In what commentators and residents of the city saw as a sign of an imminent invasion, the military confirmed that it was working on relocating civilians to a safe zone a few miles (kilometers) away along the Mediterranean coast.
Just a day earlier, Israeli warplanes hit Rafah sites, adding to concerns among civilians sheltering there that a ground assault would soon follow.
Marwan Shaath, a 57-year-old resident of Rafah, told reporters, “Our bags have been packed for months now for the time of the evacuation.”
Western allies have urged Israel not to invade Rafah, but Israel insists that the push is needed to eliminate Hamas fighters sheltering in a network of tunnels beneath the city.
The IDF says they also want to capture or kill Hamas leaders presumed to be in Rafah and ensure the release of the remaining hostages captured during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.