There was a plan for the city to offer refuge

Hamas is not Safe in Rafah: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Qatar

The conflict in the Gaza Strip continued as international concern mounted over Israel’s plans to push ahead with its offensive into the city of Rafah, where half of the territory’s population is located.

As of Wednesday, roughly 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering in cramped conditions in Rafah were bracing for the potential of an Israeli assault on the city, but hoping for a diplomatic breakthrough as negotiators from the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Qatar were said to be meeting in Cairo for talks on a plan to pause the fighting.

It doesn’t feel good to Khaled Atef Ashour because he feels like he’s not safe in Rafah after the Israeli military freed two hostages on Monday. Health officials in Gaza said the Israeli raid resulted in the deaths of 74 people.

President Biden sent the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns, to join the talks, and said that he had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to “push this forward” over the past month. Hamas officials took part in the negotiations through the help of Egypt and the state of Qatar.

Speaking from the White House on Monday, President Biden said key elements of a plan were “on the table,” but said “gaps remain” as he encouraged parties to keep working toward a deal.

The deadly attack by Hamas on Israel in October spurred Biden to reiterate his support for the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increased pressure to bring home the hostages that are still being held by Hamas.

Israel should not make a military operation in Rafah without a credible plan for the safety of the more than one million people that are trapped there, according to Biden.

The Times of Israel (TELAVIV): Will Israel Execute a major incursion into Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, or Will Israel and Hamas agree to a cease-fire

The only cease-fire in this conflict was in November. Negotiated with the help of Qatar, it lasted a week and saw the release of 50 hostages from Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The proposal that was rejected by Hamas did not include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. The counter offer Netanyahu rejected last week would have left the Gaza Strip in the hands of Hamas.

Mr. Netanyahu has said that Israel will conduct such an offensive and has ordered the military to draw up plans to evacuate civilians from the city. Palestinians and aid groups say that no place in Gaza is safe and that moving people away from the main entry point for aid will make things worse.

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TEL AVIV, Israel – Will Israel execute a major incursion into Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, or will Hamas and Israel agree to a cease-fire instead?

Some families with only a few hours to set up their tents are packing up in Rafah. Many have arrived in Rafah after fleeing Israeli military strikes in the northern swath of the Gaza Strip.

“When we came here, this whole area was empty, then maybe after three or four days, there was no room for even one person to come with his family,” said Aisha Abdallah Al-Najjar.

A Gaza Strip nascent village in the eyes of the Arab world: What’s happened in the last three months? A Palestinian woman asks for a solution

She’s from the village of Qizan an-Najjar in the Khan Younis governorate in southern Gaza, where Hamas and the Israeli military have been engaging in heavy fighting.

She said that her surroundings were so crowded that people took turns for water and toilets even when they weren’t walking. Everything is done with a turn. It’s not nice. It’s crazy,” said al-Najjar.

“50 rockets came in less than 20 minutes, and there was intense bombing on Rafah.” said Ashour, who is from Khan Younis and has been living in Israel for 35 years.

Thousands of people had sought refuge at the hospital, but were being told to leave because of the fighting. The hospital and Hamas denied Israel’s claims that the hospital was used as a ruse for operations.

Cease-fire talks have been off the table for a lot of residents. There has been a steady flow of news stories about strikes in Gaza, the Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon and the Israeli military on northern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week ordered the military to come up with an evacuation plan for Rafah in preparation for a ground offensive there.

There is no safer place in the Gaza Strip now according to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General for UNRWA.

“We no longer feel safe in any area in Gaza,” said Umm Naif al-Zaza, who has been displaced twice in the past few months, and said she’s seen nothing but “suffering and humiliation” everywhere she’s been.

Like al-Zaza, Khalid Atef Ashour’s also asking for peace but he wants more engagement from the Arab world in order to bring about a ceasefire.

“I am requesting the Arab countries and the donor countries to find a solution to the situation in Palestine,” he said. Find me a solution. That’s all.