Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 44 Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Saturday, only hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a ground invasion of the city.
Netanyahu did not release a timeline of the planned assault but instructed the military to oversee the evacuations of hundreds or thousands of people ahead of the invasion.
Israel says Rafah is the last remaining stronghold for the Hamas terrorist group after more than four months of war following the Oct. 7 ambush attack on Israel.
Rafah, which borders Egypt, holds more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Many more have moved into the city following Israeli evacuation orders covering the remaining two-thirds of Gaza.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shourky has said that the ground offensive on Rafah will have “disastrous consequences.” Shourky is a leading figure in Egypt’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between the hostile parties and free the remaining hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Israel has engaged in airstrikes on Rafah almost daily in recent weeks.
From Friday night into Saturday morning, three airstrikes in Rafah killed 28 people, including 10 children, according to the Associated Press.
Later on Saturday, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 11 people, including three children, according to the head of Rafah municipality Ahmed al-Sawaf.
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The impending ground invasion of the city has increased tensions between Netanyahu and the United States, with some U.S. officials saying the invasion without plans for the evacuation of civilians will lead to disaster.
Late on Thursday, President Joe Biden rebuked Israel’s conduct in Gaza, saying that the response to the Oct. 7 attack has been “over the top.” In December, Biden encouraged the Israeli military to “be more careful” with civilians.
