From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Israel to buy 40,000 tents to evacuate Palestinians from Rafah ahead of ground offensive, official says
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An Israeli official confirms that Israel is purchasing 40,000 tents to prepare for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah.
Four Hamas battalions are believed to be stationed in Rafah, and Israel has said that without launching an offensive in Rafah, it won’t be able to achieve the goals laid out at the start of the war.
Rafah is also thought to be where Hamas leaders are hidden, possibly along with Israeli hostages.
The population of Rafah has swelled to more than one million people — or half of Gaza’s total population — since the start of the war as civilians evacuated southward to flee the fighting between Israel and Hamas. As such, the international community, including the US, opposes the offensive, saying it would endanger Palestinian civilians.
Israel has said it has a plan to evacuate civilians ahead of its offensive, and the Defense Ministry on Monday published a tender seeking a supplier of tents.
The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the tents were part of the Rafah preparations.
The Times of Israel Community.