Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued instructions to the Israeli army to plan the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents of Rafah before the expected ground invasion of the city, which has become the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who were forced out by the occupation from various areas in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News aired on Sunday and excerpts of which were published yesterday, pointed out that the Israeli army will ensure a “safe passage” for civilians before the expected attack. He stated that there are areas in northern Rafah that have been “cleared and can be used as safe zones for civilians.”
The Israeli Prime Minister threatened to take control of Rafah, which he described as the “last stronghold of Hamas brigades,” referring to the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
In response to criticisms and concerns about the fate of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians if the occupation launches a ground attack on Rafah, Netanyahu said, “Those who say that we should not enter Rafah at all, are essentially telling us that we should lose the war and leave Hamas there.”
Hamas Warns
These statements come as warnings escalate about the serious humanitarian consequences of any attack on the densely populated Rafah, housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people who sought refuge there from the continuous shelling and Israeli evacuation orders in the north and south of Gaza.
Hamas warned on Saturday of a “massacre” in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinian refugees are housed in the southern Gaza Strip, stating in a statement, “We warn of a global disaster and massacre that could leave tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded if the Rafah Governorate is invaded.”
Hamas held the responsibility for the safety of the city’s residents to the US administration, the international community, and the Israeli occupation.
Meanwhile, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, warned on Saturday of the expected Israeli attack on Rafah, stating that it would result in an “unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe.”
International and Regional Warnings
Oman warned on Sunday of the serious repercussions of the continued occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip and its direction towards invading Rafah. The Omani Foreign Ministry stated in a release, “We urge the international community to take concrete steps to compel Israel to cease fire and open the crossings in the Gaza Strip.”
Saudi Arabia also warned on Saturday of the extremely serious consequences of invading and targeting the city of Rafah. The Kingdom considered that “this persistence in violating international law and international humanitarian law underscores the urgent need for an immediate convening of the UN Security Council to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe, with all those who support the aggression bearing responsibility.”
The US State Department warned this week that “implementing a similar operation now (in Rafah), without planning and with little thought, in an area inhabited by a million people would be a catastrophe.” In a rare implicit criticism of Israel, US President Joe Biden said this week that the response in Gaza was “excessive,” affirming that efforts have been made since the start of the war to alleviate its impact on civilians.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasized that while the shock for Israelis was real after October 7th last year, the situation in Gaza is unjustified.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said through the X platform, “We are deeply concerned about the possibility of a military attack on Rafah.”
Dutch Foreign Minister said, “The situation in the Rafah area is extremely alarming, and we do not see any results of the operations there without a larger humanitarian catastrophe.”
Egyptian Threat
In the same context, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that widening the scope of the Israeli military operation will have serious consequences, warning against any further escalation. He added in a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Maria Gabriel in the Egyptian capital that the humanitarian situation in Gaza cannot tolerate more destruction and casualties.
The official Israeli broadcasting authority said that Egypt had threatened Israel with suspending the peace treaty between the two sides if its army moved into Rafah.
On March 26, 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington following the Camp David Accords between the two sides in 1978.
The treaty’s key provisions included the cessation of hostilities, normalization of relations, full Israeli withdrawal of its armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula, and keeping the region demilitarized.
The Israeli broadcasting authority cited the US newspaper “The Wall Street Journal” saying that Cairo also issued a warning to Hamas, stating that it must reach a prisoner swap deal within two weeks, otherwise Israel will continue its ground operation in the sector.
It noted that Egypt intensified its defense system on the borders with fences, cameras, monitoring towers, and sensing devices.
Since October 7th last year, the occupation army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of more than 28,000 martyrs, most of them women and children, and around 70,000 injured, in addition to the destruction of cities in the sector and the displacement and starvation of its residents.
