Today, Monday, regional and international calls have escalated to stop the aggression on Rafah and prevent a promised Israeli ground invasion causing great concern worldwide.
During the past night, about 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens were injured, most of them women and children, in a violent Israeli shelling on homes and mosques in Rafah, south of Gaza.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) considered the attack a continuation of the genocide war against the Palestinian people, calling for urgent international action to halt the aggression.
Turkey Expresses Concern
The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern about the escalating Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in Gaza.
In a statement on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take necessary steps to stop Israel in its attack on Gaza.
The ministry added that these attacks are part of a plan to expel the Palestinian people from their land.
Rafah is the last refuge for the displaced in the devastated sector and houses more than 1.4 million Palestinians, including 1.3 million displaced from other provinces.
US President Joe Biden is hosting King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington today, Monday, with discussions expected to cover the growing concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah and efforts to release detainees in Gaza.
Borrell: We Must Do More Than Express Concern
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that 1.7 million Palestinians in Rafah have nowhere to seek refuge, emphasizing the need to continue pressure on Israel to prevent it from attacking the city.
Speaking at a press conference before attending the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Brussels today, Borrell noted that the meeting would address the latest developments related to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza amidst devastating Israeli warfare.
Borrell emphasized, “We must do more than express our concern; many people now say that Israel’s actions are disproportionate, with the death toll reaching an unbearable level. Even US President Joe Biden mentioned this yesterday.”
WHO Director Expresses Concern
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, renewed calls today to cease fire in Gaza, expressing particular concern over the Israeli attacks on Rafah, where most of the sector’s population has fled.
Tedros mentioned that out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 15 are still partially operational at minimum capacity, with relief workers exerting maximum effort under unimaginable conditions.
The United Nations stated that over 85% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, facing a famine where one in five children under the age of five suffers from severe malnutrition.
Doctors Without Borders Warning
Doctors Without Borders warned on Monday that a potential Israeli ground assault on Rafah, south of Gaza, would be catastrophic, urging its immediate halt in the densely populated area hosting hundreds of thousands seeking refuge from intense bombings in other parts of the sector.
In a series of posts on the platform, the organization’s president, Mene Nicolas, stated, “The declared Israeli ground assault on Rafah would be cataclysmic and must not continue,” amid international warnings of genocide resulting from targeting the densely populated city of displaced persons.
Nicolas warned, “With the ongoing aerial bombings in the area, over a million people, many living in tents and temporary shelters, are now facing a significant escalation in this ongoing massacre.”
Israel: Two Options Before the UN
Israeli government spokesperson Ilon Levy urged UN agencies to evacuate civilians from combat zones, stating that the UN has two options: to rescue Hamas or to rescue civilians.
He affirmed that the war would continue until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are released, deeming it absurd to halt the war now.
Levy emphasized that it is the Palestinian president’s duty to eliminate Hamas, not support it, expecting Israel’s allies to stand by its side in facing Hamas.
Rafah witnessed bloody events last night resulting in dozens of casualties following intense Israeli airstrikes and clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Israeli army in the overcrowded city of displaced persons, blatantly disregarding international warnings.
Earlier today, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagar recounted what he described as details of the liberation of two prisoners in a military operation in Rafah during which massacres were committed, according to Hamas.
The fierce attacks on Rafah last night were met with Palestinian condemnation, amid warnings of using them as a means of forcibly displacing Palestinians outside of Gaza, especially with the Israeli announcement of readiness to invade the heavily populated city of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons.
For 129 days, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in 28,340 martyrs and 67,984 injuries, mostly children and women, in addition to thousands missing under the rubble, according to Palestinian and UN data, leading to Israel’s trial on charges of genocide for the first time since its establishment.
