The leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Izzat al-Rishq, warned on Monday that any ground invasion in Rafah , south of the Gaza Strip, would put the negotiations in jeopardy.
Al-Rishq said in statements published on the official website of the Hamas movement, “Any military operation in Rafah will put the negotiations in limbo.”
He added that the military operation in Rafah “will not be a picnic for the enemy army, and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his government bear full responsibility.”
This came after the Israeli army announced the start of the “temporary evacuation” of Palestinians from the eastern neighborhoods of the city of Rafah to the Al-Mawasi area, in preparation for a possible military operation.
The area that the Israeli army demanded to be evacuated in an operation that it described as “limited” includes the Rafah land crossing on the border with Egypt, which is the main crossing through which humanitarian aid passes into the Gaza Strip, and the only one used by Palestinians in the Strip to travel abroad.
The Rafah crossing is also used to transport dozens of seriously injured Palestinians every day to receive treatment abroad due to the scarcity of medical capabilities in the Gaza Strip’s hospitals.
Several countries, led by the United States and Egypt – which is leading the mediation between Tel Aviv and the Hamas movement in cooperation with Qatar – have previously called for avoiding any military operation in Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people, due to its danger. However, the Israeli Prime Minister and the ministers supporting him in his government insist on the operation under the pretext that Rafah It is “the last stronghold of the Hamas movement,” and to put pressure on the course of negotiations.Source : Agencies
Newsessentials Blog 
Posted on May 6, 2024
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