Thousands trapped and many feared dead in Israeli siege and bombing of Rafah's Tel Al Sultan

Gaza officials issue warning as thousands of residents cut off from medical assistance, food and water

Residents were ordered to leave Tel Al Sultan in Rafah, southern Gaza, being displaced once again when the Israeli military dropped eviction leaflets. AFP

Thousands of civilians in the Tel Al Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah, southern Gaza, have been cut off from communication services, water supply, food distribution and medical assistance after Israel renewed its bombing of the area, the municipality said.

Entire families, including women and children, remain trapped, Rafah municipality said in a statement on Monday. It comes almost a week after Israel shattered a ceasefire by resuming its bombardment of the enclave and Hamas fired rockets towards Tel Aviv in response.

In some cases in Rafah, people are buried under rubble, alive but unable to be rescued because of a communications blackout and lack of medical supplies, the statement added.

“The wounded are left to bleed to death, while children are dying of hunger and thirst under the relentless siege and bombardment,” the statement read.

The latest attacks on Gaza brought a ceasefire enacted on January 19 to an abrupt end, weeks after the first phase of the truce expired on March 1. Israel had pushed for an extension to the first phase and the release of all hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, but the militant group insisted the negotiations must move on to the second phase, in which the rest of the hostages would have been released, followed by talks towards a lasting ceasefire and a permanent Israeli withdrawal from the enclave.

Rafah's municipality revealed it had lost contact with ambulance and civil defence crews more than 36 hours ago after teams travelled to Tel Al Sultan.

Besieged Palestinians take whatever belongings they can and set out for Khan Younis from Rafah's Tel Sultan area after it was encircled by Israeli forces. AFP

Mahmoud Basal, Gaza civil defence spokesman, told The National: “At dawn, Israeli forces targeted the Red Crescent [humanitarian group] in Tel Al Sultan. Our teams, along with Red Crescent and Health Ministry crews, rushed to the scene."

He said eviction leaflets were dropped from the sky and, shortly after, Israeli troops stormed the area with tanks, drones and armed forces on the ground. “The neighbourhood and its residents were completely besieged, and we lost contact with our teams at that moment," he added. "Their fate remains unknown, despite our urgent appeals.”

He said more than 16 members of the Civil Defence and Red Crescent teams were trapped in Tel Al Sultan, along with four emergency vehicles.

"This assault mirrors what happened in Jabalia [in northern Gaza], where Israeli forces surrounded civilians, tightened the siege, prevented them from leaving and forced them to evacuate through designated routes," he said. "Many were arrested, subjected to brutal mistreatment and even fired upon.

“Thousands [of residents] remain trapped in Tel Al Sultan, most of them out of contact with their families. We continue to receive desperate pleas from their relatives.”

Israeli troops resume ground operations in Gaza

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Foiled escape

When the eviction orders were dropped, thousands of Palestinians attempted to leave the area to which many had not long returned under the ceasefire deal, which saw thousands of Palestinian detainees freed in exchange for Israeli hostages. Aid has also been allowed to flow through the Rafah crossing, over the border from Egypt, into the strip, while many residents had returned to their destroyed towns and villages to assess damage and attempt to begin rebuilding.

“We thought the war was over when we returned home,” Abdel Karim Jabr, 36, said of fleeing his hometown once more. "We never imagined we would be displaced again, forced back into this nightmare. The entire way, Israeli forces fired at us. The gunfire never stopped. Some were wounded, others were killed, but no one could stop to help. Any movement was met with more gunfire.

“I fled with my mother, my brother’s wife and her children. By some miracle, we survived and reached Al Mawasi in Khan Younis. Along the way, I had to carry my mother multiple times because she couldn’t walk. At times, I carried both her and my children just to keep moving.”

Hassan Ahmad Saad, who works for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, also made a frantic bid to escape with his mother, 73, and aunt, 70. He said the attack began at night and by morning, leaflets had been dropped telling them to leave on foot using a specific street.

"It was an excruciating journey,” said Mr Saad, 43. “Halfway through, we encountered tanks and soldiers who ordered us to change our route. Then heavy gunfire erupted towards the crowd.

“We tried another road, walking for over an hour and a half. But suddenly, they [Israeli troops] started shooting at us again. Three people in front of us were shot. Moments later, soldiers ordered us to turn back but there was no way to return safely. We had no choice but to go back to Tel Al Sultan, despite the danger."

Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday at least 50,082 Palestinians have been killed and 113,408 injured in Israel's offensive on the territory since October 7, 2023. More than 124,000 have been displaced by the bombing in only a few days, UNRWA found, and all aid has been cut off.

"People were exhausted, crying, and terrified," Mr Saad said. "Under the blazing sun and fasting, fear consumed everyone.” Ramadan, which began during the ceasefire with Palestinians able to observe the holy month's customs in peace and break their fast together, will end with more than 700 dead after the renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza.

“I saw it with my own eyes – soldiers shot a young woman in the stomach, another in the eye,” Mr Saad said. "They fired indiscriminately at civilians.”

For now, Tel Al Sultan remains under siege and Israeli politicians have threatened to take more territory if Hamas does not hand over the remaining hostages.

“Right now, movement in Tel Al Sultan is completely restricted,” Mr Saad said. "No one dares to step outside. I don’t even know if my neighbours are still alive or if we are completely alone."