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| A satellite image captured on May 7 depicts tent camps in Rafah, Gaza. The image was provided by Planet Labs, PBC. |
Palestinians are evacuating Rafah's tent cities in significant numbers as the possibility of a major Israeli assault in the southern Gaza city grows imminent, as per new satellite imagery from Planet Labs.
CNN has pinpointed various camps accommodating Gaza's extensive refugee population, notably the primary camp in central Rafah, which previously housed thousands of tents. These camps have notably diminished in size from Tuesday to Wednesday. While certain camps in Rafah had witnessed a reduction in population earlier in the week, the most substantial declines across the identified camps were observed since Tuesday.
Some of the tent camps, which had been situated in United Nations schools, open fields, or along roadways for months, have now disappeared, while many individuals still reside in the camps despite orders from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to evacuate.
According to the UN's agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), at least 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since Monday following the IDF's evacuation order.
This week, streams of Palestinians relocated to Al-Mawasi in response to an Israeli relocation directive. Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), cautioned that the harsh conditions in Al-Mawasi, including a lack of stable security and adequate accommodation or space, categorize Israel's relocation orders as forced displacement, constituting a serious violation of international law.
My knowledge cut-off date is January 2022. As of that time, Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries and international bodies, including Israel, the United States, the European Union, and others.
The location designated by the Israel Defense Forces for residents of eastern Rafah to relocate to on May 6 is reportedly strained, lacking adequate resources and services to accommodate the 1.4 million displaced civilians, as noted by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
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| Cited Sources: Israel Defense Forces, Norwegian Refugee Council, Institute for the Study of War, and AEI's Critical Threats Project. | Graphic Designer: Lou Robinson |
As of my last update in January 2022, Hamas was designated as a terrorist organization by multiple countries and international bodies, including Israel, the United States, the European Union, and others.
Wednesday saw US President Joe Biden send ripples through both the US and Israel with a warning that the US might suspend certain shipments of American weapons if Netanyahu sanctioned a major invasion of the city.
Netanyahu, in a defiant response during a speech, declared, "if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. I have said that, if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails."
The exodus from Rafah began on Monday as Gazans responded to Israel’s military urging residents in the eastern part of Rafah to "evacuate immediately" towards Al Mawasi and other northern areas. Many have sought refuge further north, towards central Gaza, where infrastructure is more available.
IDF initiated ground operations on Tuesday, following the seizure of the Gaza-side of the Rafah border crossing. These operations are ongoing, with a primary focus on the easternmost sections of Rafah, just over a mile from the closest camp identified by CNN.
The prospect of a full-scale Israeli ground assault on Rafah raises concerns of "potential mass atrocities," as stated by Egeland, the NRC chief, on Monday.
This story is continuously being updated with new developments.
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