Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his war cabinet on Friday and approved plans for a military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. The Israeli military said it will evacuate civilians to what it calls “humanitarian islands” in the middle of the Gaza strip.

Joining the discussion:

• Bill Deere is the Director of the Washington Representative Office with UNRWA.
• Abdel Bari Atwan is the Editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm.
• Yossi Mekelberg is an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
• Dan Arbell is a Scholar-in-Residence at the Center for Israeli Studies at American University.

The Israeli military intends to direct a “significant” portion of Rafah’s population of 1.4 million toward “humanitarian islands” in central Gaza, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Thursday.

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— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 14, 2024

Activists say Israel’s plans to direct a significant portion of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in Rafah toward so-called “humanitarian islands” is an attempt to whitewash its image after killing tens of thousands of Palestinians.

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— TRT World (@trtworld) March 15, 2024