United States of America: A ground attack in Rafah is unlikely before the month of Ramadan

The planned Israeli military attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip will likely not begin before the holy month of Ramadan, according to a media report. An unnamed senior US official told the Times of Israel news website this assessment.

As the website reported yesterday, the Israeli army is still in the process of completing major operations in the town of Khan Yunis, north of Rafah, which has been witnessing heated competition for weeks. Meanwhile, approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are scheduled to be transferred to a safe location in Rafah before the army takes action there against remaining Hamas forces.

The official was quoted as saying that implementing such a plan, including mechanisms to support people after they are placed in other locations, would take weeks.

It appears that civilians are planning to move

The website stated, quoting an Israeli official, that the army intends to shelter civilians in Rafah, an area located to the north between Khan Yunis and the course of the Wadi Gaza River, which separates northern and southern Gaza.

According to the US official, if Israel does not begin these efforts before Ramadan, which begins around March 10, the army may have to wait until after the Muslim holy month of fasting. The attack on Rafah during Ramadan could be seen as particularly provocative by Muslims across the region.

Aid organizations warn

In Rafah, the Israeli army is preparing for an invasion with the aim of destroying the remaining Hamas brigades and freeing suspected hostages there. But the Israeli government has not yet issued an executive order.

The military action in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt is highly controversial because about 1.5 million Palestinians are clustered in a small area there, most of whom have already fled fighting in other parts of the coastal region. Relief organizations point to a catastrophic humanitarian situation.