Israeli Prime Minister Defies Pleas to Halt Advance on Gaza’s Rafah City
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that his troops will continue to advance on the Gazan city of Rafah, despite pleas from international leaders to reconsider. French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, has warned Netanyahu about the human cost of Israel’s operation in Gaza, calling it “intolerable.” However, Netanyahu has ordered his army to prepare for a ground assault.
Rafah, a city with a population of 1.4 million Palestinians, has already been heavily bombarded. Despite this, Netanyahu has vowed to press on with a “powerful” assault, stating that Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, must be eliminated from the southern city. He said, “We will fight until complete victory and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.”
President Macron personally phoned Netanyahu to express his opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, stating that it could lead to a “humanitarian disaster of a new magnitude.” The prime ministers of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand also issued a joint statement expressing their grave concern about the potential catastrophic consequences of a military operation in Rafah. They urged the Israeli government not to proceed with this course of action, emphasizing the devastating impact it would have on Palestinian civilians.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was visiting Israel at the time, warned that people in Rafah with nowhere to go cannot simply disappear. Spain and the Republic of Ireland have requested urgent examination by the European Union (EU) to determine whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza under an accord linking rights to trade.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory reports that at least 28,576 people, mostly women and children, have been killed as a result of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. This number is staggering and highlights the urgency of the situation.
In the earlier days of the war, Israel had instructed Palestinians to seek refuge in Rafah as the Israeli military targeted the northern cities. Rafah, located in Gaza’s southernmost region, features a crossing point into Egypt where humanitarian aid has been allowed to enter the Strip. However, Israeli authorities now want civilians to relocate to a “humanitarian zone” called al-Mawasi, which is a thin strip of mainly agricultural land along the Mediterranean coast.
Among the displaced civilians in Rafah is Ahlam Abu Assi, who expressed her desperation to AFP news agency, stating that she would rather die there than return to the famine-like conditions experienced by her relatives who stayed in Gaza City. The situation is dire, with many families struggling to find enough food to eat.
Another city, Khan Younis, has been the focus of Israel’s operations in the south of Gaza thus far. Thousands of displaced Palestinians sought shelter in the Nasser hospital there but are now being ordered to evacuate.
Netanyahu’s decision to press on with the assault comes after inconclusive peace negotiations involving officials from the US, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar. Israel’s prime ministerial office stated that Hamas had not presented any new offers for a hostage deal and that Israel would not accept their “ludicrous demands.” They emphasized that a change in Hamas’ positions would be necessary to move forward in the negotiations.
The situation in Gaza remains highly volatile, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. The international community continues to call for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. However, it seems that Netanyahu is determined to pursue his military objectives, regardless of the consequences. The world watches anxiously as the situation unfolds, hoping for a swift end to the suffering of the people of Gaza.