Three senior members of the Hamas police in Rafah were killed as a result of an attack on their vehicle in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, according to Israeli media reports from Saturday afternoon.
Those killed are the director of investigations Ahmed al-Yakoubi, his deputy Ayman al-Rantisi, and Ibrahim Shatt.
The strike comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to begin preparations to enter Rafah.
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to begin planning to evacuate civilians from Rafah into areas of Gaza cleared of Hamas units.
Impossible to leave Hamas in Rafah
“It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war without eliminating Hamas, and by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah,” the statement noted.
“On the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat.”
Netanyahu was criticized for the plan by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN, ” [Israel] taking this step threatens security and peace in the region and the world. It crosses all red lines.”
“We’re extremely worried about the fate of civilians in Rafah,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
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