Israel PM says no 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Rafah as almost 500,000 evacuated

Israel's prime minister said Wednesday that nearly 500,000 people had been evacuated from Gaza's far-southern Rafah city and dismissed widespread fears of a "humanitarian catastrophe" there.

"Our responsible efforts are bearing fruit," Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "So far, in Rafah, close to half a million people have been evacuated from the combat zones."

The international community, including Israel's top ally Washington, had urged Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Rafah, where 1.4 million people have sought shelter.

But Netanyahu insisted that "the humanitarian catastrophe that was spoken about did not materialize, nor will it".

Israel last week defied a chorus of warnings -- including from the United States, which paused a shipment of bombs -- and sent troops and tanks into the east of Rafah to pursue militants.

The United Nations said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 people had been displaced from Rafah since Israel first began issuing evacuation orders for eastern areas of the governorate on May 6.

Another 100,000 people had fled their homes amid renewed fighting in northern Gaza, the UN said, meaning that around a quarter of Gaza's population had been displaced again in just over a week.

"Our forces are fighting throughout the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said, adding that "we are doing this while evacuating the civilian population and fulfilling our commitment to its humanitarian needs".

  'No substitute for victory' 

 The Israeli premier doubled down on his determination to completely destroy Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel sparked the ongoing war.

"Eliminating Hamas is a necessary step to ensure that on the 'day after,' there will be no element in Gaza that threatens us," he said.

Hamas's October 7 attack killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also seized around 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 it says are dead.

Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza have since killed at least 35,233 people, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Netanyahu said that any discussion on preparations concerning who rules Gaza after the war was just "empty talk" as long as Hamas remains in the territory.

He said that his government had "for months" been striving "to find a solution to this complex problem", something it was "determined to achieve".

"Until it is clear that Hamas does not militarily control Gaza, no entity will be willing to take civilian management of Gaza for fear of its well-being," he said.

"Therefore, discussions about the 'day after,' when Hamas remains in power, will remain just talk -- empty talk."

He stressed that "there is no substitute for military victory" and that any belief that Israel can move forward without winning is "simply disconnected from reality".