Have you heard? Rafah is a place that has really become a global spotlight lately. Imagine a small city of 200,000 people suddenly flooding with more than a million refugees.
But this is Rafah, a small city in the Gaza Strip that is now a "lifeline" in the eyes of countless people.
Why? Because Rafah is a lifeline for the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and the only way for them to receive relief supplies. Moreover, the place is not controlled by Israel, but by Hamas and Egypt, which is unique in the Gaza Strip.
But don't think it's safe, the Israeli army uses Rafah as a "decisive battlefield" for military operations, and their goal is clear: to annihilate Hamas forces in Rafah.
Why is Israel so persistent, you may ask? It starts with Israel's three main war goals: to free all hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is determined that Israel will be able to achieve these goals only if it completely eliminates Hamas's power in Rafah.
But can this war really bring peace? I look at the hanging. The Philadelphia Corridor, a 14-kilometer strip of land that was originally a buffer zone between Israel and Egypt, is now a strategic point that Israel intends to control.
Israel wants to ensure the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip by taking control of the area. But the question is, does this kind of control really bring peace?
The situation at the negotiating table is also not encouraging. Hamas demanded a permanent withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, to which Israel flatly refused. This impasse makes people wonder: where is the way out for peace?
Then there are the inhabitants of Rafah, whose living conditions are extremely harsh. According to United Nations data, since the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the outside world has mainly relied on the Rafah port to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.
However, due to the continuous bombardment by the Israeli army, the delivery of these supplies has become extremely difficult. Moreover, the Israeli military's evacuation order, which expects to evacuate at least 100,000 people, will undoubtedly exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
You might be thinking, why don't you evacuate to a safe area? The problem, however, is that the "safe zones" designated by Israel are not safe, as they are also under attack.
This raises the question: Is such an evacuation order for the protection of civilians or for the convenience of military operations?
Even more worrying is the fact that the Israeli military's actions have provoked internal opposition. It is reported that 30 Israeli servicemen refused to obey orders to prepare for a ground assault on the city of Rafah.
This suggests that even within the Israeli army, there are those who have doubts about the legitimacy of this war.
And the attitude of the United States is also worth paying attention to. After the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas reached a deadlock again, the US Government recently suspended the shipment of US-made ammunition to Israel.
Israeli officials said the U.S. government's move had raised serious concerns within the Israeli government.
In the midst of this seemingly endless conflict, Rafah became a microcosm that demonstrated the brutality of war, the humanitarian challenge, and the powerlessness of the international community.
We can't help but ask: when will this tragedy end? When will the inhabitants of Rafah, and all the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, truly have a safe home?
To be honest, it's a headache. The devastation and suffering caused by war is far beyond our imagination. And the fate of innocent civilians who have lost their homes and loved ones in the war is even more worrying.
We hope that this article will draw more attention to this issue and show sympathy for civilians who have been neglected in the conflict.