Egypt is very scared that Israel may attack Rafah in Gaza. Rafah is in the south part of Gaza. Over one million Palestinian people live in Rafah. Egypt says an Israeli attack could badly hurt many of these people.
Egypt’s leader, Al-Sisi, said he is watching the peace talks closely. He wants both sides to agree to stop fighting. This would end the very hard situation for Palestinians in Gaza. Al-Sisi also wants any prisoners to be traded between the two sides to help fix things.
Hamas Talks About Peace
Earlier, Hamas said its leader Haniyeh talked on the phone about a possible peace deal. He spoke with Egyptian and Qatari officials. But Israel has said it still plans to attack Rafah. Israel wants to put pressure on Hamas to free prisoners Israel has.
Israel Getting Ready
Reports say Israeli soldiers have already forced about 100,000 Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah. Israel may be planning to send ground troops to attack there. Egypt has sent more soldiers near Rafah in case of fighting.
Other Countries Speak Out
Jordan’s foreign minister warned there could be another very bad attack in Rafah. He wants other countries to step in and stop it. A top European Union official also said Israel’s plans are not good. He said making Palestinians leave will just lead to more fighting.
Hamas is very angry at Israel’s plans to attack Rafah. Hamas said it is ready to defend Palestinians. The group wants the world to take action to stop Israel’s threatened attack.
Keep Reading
Many Palestinians Hurt and Killed
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces have attacked many families in Rafah lately. In just the last day, 52 Palestinians were killed and 90 were hurt. Overall since last October, the ministry said 34,735 Palestinians have been killed and 78,108 hurt in the area.
The situation in Rafah is very dangerous now. Both sides are getting ready to maybe fight. Peace talks are happening but are struggling. Many people around the world are calling for calm and a peaceful way to fix things, worried about the safety of so many Palestinian civilians living there.
