Israeli Officials Push Ahead With Rafah Plan Without Precise Strategy

  • Officials have no clear plan to safely evacuate Palestinians
  • Israeli military says it is close to destroying Hamas in Gaza
An Israeli tank near the destroyed Hamza mosque in Khan Yunis, taken during an Israeli military-controlled tour, on Jan. 27.Photographer: Nicolas Garcia/AFP/Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Israel is determined to push ahead with a goal to move a million or more civilians from Rafah before an attack on the Hamas-held city in Gaza, even though officials acknowledge in private they have no precise strategy for how to do it, how long it will take or where the people will go.

“I ordered a plan, they’re preparing it and are going to present it in the near future,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a brief phone interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, referring to the Israeli military.