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A large tent village captured on satellite… Is a Rapha attack imminent?
[앵커]
Satellite photos confirmed that Israel, which had predicted an attack on Rafah, the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip, is building a large-scale tent village in the nearby area.
It appears to be a measure that partly reflects public criticism from the international community, but concerns are also being raised that it may be nothing more than a kind of ‘red tape.’
This is reporter Lee Jun-sam.
[기자]
This is the area near Khan Yunis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip, captured by a U.S. commercial satellite on the 23rd local time.
White tents stand in a checkerboard shape in the middle of a vacant lot in the middle of nowhere.
The Associated Press reported that these tents began appearing on the 16th and have been growing in size every day since.
Israel has maintained its position that a ground operation is inevitable as there is a high possibility that there are remnants, including Hamas leaders, and Israeli hostages in the Rafah area.
“We will soon increase military and political pressure on Hamas. That is the only way to bring back the hostages and ensure victory.”
The Israeli military has not responded to reporters’ inquiries about the purpose of creating a tent city, but considering that it recently approved a combat plan for the Gaza Strip, there is speculation that it may be directly related to Operation Rafah.
The international community is voicing concerns that the Rafah ground operation will somehow result in mass casualties of civilians.
“Relocating refugees (more than a million people) is an incredibly complex task when so many things can set off a chain reaction… Without a credible, workable humanitarian plan, we cannot support ground operations.”
In a speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, repeatedly warned that the consequences of the Rafah attack would be “catastrophic,” saying, “More than 1.3 million people are living on the streets of Rafah without shelter.”
This is Lee Jun-sam of Yonhap News. ([email protected])
#GazaWar Rafah Refugees Israel
Yonhap News TV article inquiries and reports: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23
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