In recent news, the Israeli Ministry of Defense has announced that it is seeking bids for 40,000 tents to accommodate nearly half a million residents of Gaza. At the same time, preparations are being made by the country’s army for an attack on Rafah, a stronghold of Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip.
On April 9, an Israeli official stated that the tents are being purchased in anticipation of evacuating hundreds of thousands of people from Rafah. The Ministry of Defense website had previously announced the bid for the tents, with each tent capable of housing 12 people and totaling around 480,000 residents. These preparations are part of the operation planned for Rafah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) believe that there are still four Hamas battalions hiding in Rafah. Despite opposition from countries like the United States over concerns of a humanitarian disaster, Israel has stated that civilians will be evacuated before any attack on Rafah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on April 8 that the IDF has scheduled an operation targeting Rafah aiming to eliminate Hamas’s brigades completely. The army has withdrawn troops from Khan Younis to regroup and prepare for future operations, with certain units remaining in the Gaza Strip to ensure freedom of action and conduct intelligence-driven operations.
The conflict in Gaza erupted after an attack by Hamas in early October 2023, followed by retaliation from Israel. The toll from the conflict includes 33,360 fatalities and 75,993 injuries according to health authorities in Gaza.
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