Preface
This post is written with a heavy heart, in horror and sadness. During all the Superbowl media coverage early this week, an extremely heartbreaking and serious event has been overlooked by many. Today we will talk about Israel’s strike on Rafah overnight between Sunday, February 11th, and Monday, February 12th. To be perfectly honest, despite staying updated on the situation in private, I have been hesitant to write publicly about the Israel-Palestine conflict. I briefly outlined the history leading up to the conflict in a past post, but I have found the situation to be extremely confusing with many moving parts. Also, with so much information being circulated on social media and the issue of fake news, I have been deterred from digging deeper into the relatively convoluted situation.
I sincerely apologize that it took the tragic topic of today’s post to realize how wrong I was. This is not an issue that should be ignored for the sake of convenience, and I deeply regret not speaking about it sooner.
Rafah
The recent strike occurred in Rafah, a city located in the Gaza Strip on the border of Egypt. Currently, it is where approximately 1.4 million Palestinians have fled during the ongoing war with Israel.
The majority of these people have been displaced numerous times as their homes have been destroyed across Gaza. The people in Rafah have run in to a wall and now have nowhere else to go (BBC News, 2024). This is due to the destruction throughout Gaza and resources limited to a few areas. Considering aid is unable to reach many parts of the Gaza Strip, those who are not located in Rafah face a higher risk of famine. People in Gaza City are reportedly resorting to eating grass and drinking from toilet bowls and the ocean due to lack of available food and water (Regan, 2024).
That being said, the “living” conditions within Rafah are not much better. Most of the population live in tents with up to 30 other people. See the images below for a comparison of the streets of Rafah before and after the height of the war.
Many believe that Israel intends to further displace Palestinians by forcing them into Egypt. However, Egypt refuses to open the Rafah Border Crossing in very plausible fear that Israel will not let citizens back into their home country after leaving, and they will be stuck in Egypt (Reuters, 2024). So, 1.4 million people are in a state of limbo, backed up against Egypt with nowhere left to go. Rafah is also where Hamas has 4 remaining battalions and holds remaining Israeli hostages according to Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters, 2024). Therefore, the civilians in Rafah are in an extremely dangerous position.
The Israeli Strike on Rafah
Shortly before Israel’s strike on Rafah, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement; “it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat” (Reuters, 2024). This is not what happened. Beginning around 12:00 am on Monday, February 12, 2024, the Israeli military proceeded to strike various areas in the city through air strike bombings and helicopters firing machine guns (Regan, 2024). Netanyahu reports that 2 Israeli hostages were freed during this strike.
However, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (an independent humanitarian organization part of the Red Cross) reports that dozens of Palestinian civilians were killed, including children (Regan, 2024). There are conflicting reports regarding how many people were killed, roughly between 60-100. Regardless, even one is one too many. This short BBC News video covers the key details of the strike and the current state of Rafah, including the experiences of those in the city.
President Biden stated on Sunday before the attack that “Israel should not conduct a military operation against Hamas in Rafah without a ‘credible and executable’ plan to protect civilians” (The Associated Press, 2024). Again, this is not what happened. Thus far, there have been no political repercussions from the United States– who supply the Israeli Military with millions of dollars worth of weapons.
What the Future Holds
Despite this tragedy, Israel has made it very clear they are not done in Rafah. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated to ABC News that “victory is within reach. We’re going to do it. We’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion, but we’re going to do it” (Regan, 2024). He claims that asking Israel to stay out of Rafah is equivalent to asking them to lose the war (Regan, 2024). At what cost will this war be won? This statement, apathetic to the reckless loss of human life, begs the question of when will it be enough. The Palestinian people are left with rubble, dust, and holes in their family trees. They are headed toward extinction. Genocide. And despite weak “warnings,” the rest of the world remains silent.
“‘We’re exhausted. Seriously, we’re exhausted. Israel can do whatever it wants. I’m sitting in my tent. I’ll die in my tent,’ said Jihan al-Hawajri, who fled multiple times from the far north down the length of the Gaza Strip and now lives with 30 relatives in a tent.”
(Reuters, 2024)
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“Hamas has said it won’t release any more hostages unless Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza. It has also demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including senior militants who are serving life sentences.
Netanyahu has ruled out both demands, saying Israel will fight on until “total victory” and the return of all hostages.”
(The Associated Press, 2024)
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The Palestinian death toll has reached 28,176 since the start of the war. Majority reported to be women and children (The Associated Press, 2024).
My Thoughts
In the BBC video, the interviewee from UNICEF briefly recounts a story told by a Palestinian grandfather of two young girls. The man broke down in tears as he described the recent horrifying night in Rafah, where he found himself huddled under a bed, holding his two granddaughters close as they wept and screamed to the seemingly endless sounds of bombs dropping. Heartbreaking. I have a 9-year-old sister and my heart breaks further when I can’t help but picture her in the state that thousands of Palestinian children are in. Curled up under her bed screaming in sheer terror, thinking that surely her short life would come to an end at any moment. Without yet having the ability to understand why these terrible things are happening. Surrounded by so much death and suffering without yet having the opportunity to substantially experience any goodness or kindness in life.
My heart is so unbelievably heavy knowing that thousands of children who have barely had the chance to live will have their lives taken so brutally and without remorse by those sentencing them to die.
In this moment I struggle to understand why we can continue to wake up each day, eat breakfast, enjoy our morning coffee, go to work, and carry on as normal when 1.4 million people are hopelessly waiting in tents to meet their death. Existing in a state of pain, terror, and unbearable loss to the point where this cannot be classified as living. Although our state of normalcy implies that we can or should not do anything, I could not disagree more. Usually, I aim to spread awareness and spark discussions through my blog posts rather than encourage action. However, I urge you to share information and make noise about this. If we sit idly by while this continues, I genuinely fear for any humanity left in this world.
Sources
BBC News. (2024, February 12). UK tells Israel to “stop and think” about offensive in Rafah after deadly strikes – BBC News [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHnIyNFat-c
Navone, L. (2023, October 17). Egypt’s Rafah crossing is a lifeline to Palestinians in Gaza, but opening it is still unresolved – Nevada Current. Nevada Current. https://nevadacurrent.com/2023/10/17/egypts-rafah-crossing-is-a-lifeline-to-palestinians-in-gaza-but-opening-it-is-still-unresolved/
Picheta, R., & Murphy, P. (2024, February 7). Millions of Palestinians are trapped in Rafah. As Israeli troops approach, there’s nowhere left to run. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/06/middleeast/palestinians-trapped-rafah-israeli-offensive-intl/index.html
Regan, H. (2024, February 12). Israeli airstrikes kill more than 100 in Rafah as international alarm mounts over anticipated ground offensive. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/middleeast/israel-airstrikes-rafah-ground-offensive-looms-intl-hnk/index.html
Reuters, T. (2024, February 10). UN decries order by Israeli PM to evacuate Rafah, where displaced Gazans are sheltering. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-hamas-war-day-126-1.7110090
The Associated Press. (2024, February 12). Israel strikes “severely overcrowded” Rafah, says it freed 2 hostages. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-hamas-rafah-egypt-1.7111950
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