‘We Thought It Would Be The End’: Terrified Palestinians Prepare For Invasion Of Rafah

Panic has gripped Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge, after Israel walked back its commitment to keep the area safe and announced forces are preparing for a ground invasion there.

Despite condemnations from the U.S., the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue Israel’s fight until it had achieved a “total victory” and alleged that the militant group Hamas had a stronghold in Rafah. The U.N. humanitarian office said Tuesday that it had not received any Rafah evacuation plans from Israel and that the agency would not participate in any forced evacuation plans.

Thousands of people fled south in compliance with Israeli orders to evacuate northern Gaza. More than a million people, including 600,000 children, ended up sheltering in Rafah, a city of just 25 square miles along the border with Egypt.

Hundreds of civilians started to flee after Israeli strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques earlier this week, killing more than 100 people . That same morning, Israeli forces rescued two hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 under the cover of the airstrikes.

Ghada Oudah, a journalist currently based in Rafah, told HuffPost that Israel’s overnight attacks incited panic throughout the city, with many thinking Israeli troops were on the way.

“It was the worst I’ve ever seen,” Oudah said. “We thought it would be the end.”

Yousef Hammash, an advocacy officer for the Norwegian Refugee Council who is sheltering in Rafah with his family, told HuffPost that they woke up around 1 a.m. to the sounds of bombs.

“I thought that the Israelis were invading Rafah,” he said.

Aid organizations warned that a ground