Biden to Israel: Don’t attack Rafah without plan to protect civilians
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/02/2024 (657 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
U.S. President Joe Biden has again cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against moving forward with a military operation into Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah without a “credible and executable plan” to protect around 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there.
However, Israel’s defence minister said the country is “thoroughly planning” its promised ground invasion of Rafah, and Netanyahu vowed early Friday to reject “international dictates” on a long-term resolution of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians.
The number of Palestinians killed during the war in Gaza has surpassed 28,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gaza’s residents are starving. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and around 250 abducted in Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that sparked the war.
Palestinians line up for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Friday. International aid agencies say Gaza is suffering from shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies as a result of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (The Associated Press)
Meanwhile, the United Nations chief on Friday warned that an all-out offence by Israel on Rafah would be devastating for Palestinian civilians there. Secretary-General António Guterres called the situation in Gaza “an appalling indictment of the deadlock in global relations.”
The UN world court on Friday rejected a South African request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah, but also stressed that Israel must respect earlier measures imposed late last month that ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza.
Israel has identified Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza and vowed to continue its offensive there. An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza’s population, has crammed into the city, most of them displaced people who fled fighting elsewhere in Gaza.
Israel has said it will evacuate the civilians before attacking, though international aid officials have said there is nowhere to go due to the vast devastation left behind by the offensive.
» The Associated Press