Israel planning to move Palestinians from Rafah to Gaza coastline: Report

Israel plans to move Palestinians out of Rafah and into a small strip of land along the coast of Gaza ahead of its anticipated invasion, according to a report citing US officials and aid groups.

Washington has publicly and privately voiced opposition to an Israeli invasion of Rafah, which is believed to be hosting around 1.2 million Palestinians seeking refuge from the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

Israel believes the top Hamas officials are hiding underground in Rafah, which sits along the border with Egypt.

But without a credible plan to protect civilians, the Biden administration has threatened to alter its support policy for Israel.

On Friday, citing US officials and aid groups, POLITICO reported that Israel came up with a plan to move people to al-Mawasi, which is a strip of land along the southern coast of Gaza. The Israeli army reportedly sent a map of the area to aid workers this week, POLITICO said.

The White House said Friday that it had not yet seen a comprehensive plan on Israel’s thinking for an invasion of Rafah.

Israel also reportedly said it would begin its invasion of Rafah “soon” without providing an exact date. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his army would push ahead with an invasion with or without a ceasefire deal.

The US, together with Egypt and Qatar, has been working extensively to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which would see the hostages held by Hamas also released.