Palestinians have held a group iftar — the daily meal to break the Ramadan fast — in a Rafah street for hundreds of people despite the Israeli military offensive. The mass iftar initiative came from Rafah residents to help some of the 1.4 million displaced Palestinians who have taken refuge in the city.
“We decided to organise a shared iftar, serving rice and meat, in light of the ongoing war,” Musallam Ahmed, one of the iftar organisers, told Anadolu. “Our goal is to bring joy to the hearts of those who are fasting during these difficult circumstances of siege and war, and to provide them with a rich and nutritious meal.”
Regional and international warnings have been mounting for some time about the repercussions of any Israeli ground invasion of Rafah. The Israelis claimed that it was safe for the displaced Palestinians to go there, but then launched attacks on the city that have killed and wounded hundreds of people, including children and women.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on 15 March that he had approved plans to carry out a military operation in Rafah. The army is preparing to evacuate residents, without specifying a time frame for the start of the operation.
Source: Middle East Monitor
