What’s behind Israel’s threat to attack Rafah?
Al Jazeera
Threats of a full-scale military operation aim to depopulate Gaza and help Netanyahu cling to power, analysts say.
On February 12, Saleh Abou Ghanem heard Israeli warplanes buzzing in the sky from night until dawn.
They were bombing Rafah, the southern Gaza town near the Egyptian border where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought relative safety from relentless Israeli attacks. While Abou Ghanem survived the attacks, he learned that his aunt was killed in her home by an Israeli bomb.
“She was sleeping when she was martyred,” he told Al Jazeera.
Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his intention to expand military operations into Rafah. Two days later, Israel launched a series of strikes that killed dozens of people.
Analysts believe Netanyahu’s stated plan is part of a broader plot to depopulate Gaza and extend his political survival, as many predict that he will be removed from his post after the war.
