KATHMANDU: Israeli forces continued their advance into Gaza's southern city of Rafah despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's assertion that Israel has not presented a credible plan to protect the more than one million Palestinian civilians taking shelter there. Around 300,000 of the 1.3 million Palestinians previously ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate to southern Gaza have now been instructed to relocate once again, this time to the northwest of Rafah along the coastline of Gaza's Mediterranean Sea.

Blinken highlighted the absence of a specific Israeli strategy to safeguard civilians or provide adequate humanitarian assistance in the region. He emphasized the lack of clarity on the post-war scenario, expressing concern about Israel's current trajectory and the potential implications of heavy action in Rafah. The U.S. diplomat underscored the risk of causing harm to civilians without effectively addressing the root problem of Hamas's governance in Gaza.