The international community is trying to discourage Israel from invading Rafah

Gaza – The international community, led by the United States, is intensifying its calls to Israel to discourage it from invading Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are besieged on the border with Egypt.

After 4 months of war between Israel and the Palestinian faction movement, military operations are concentrated in the besieged and destroyed southern Gaza Strip, specifically in the city of Khan Yunis, where the Israeli army announced on Thursday evening that it was carrying out a “targeted operation” in Nasser Hospital, which houses thousands of displaced people, as well as in Rafah. .

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Thursday, warned against Israel launching an operation in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip without a plan to preserve the safety of civilians. The White House said in a statement that Biden “reiterated his position that a military operation should not take place without a reliable and implementable plan that guarantees the security of civilians in Rafah.”

Netanyahu announced a “strong move” in Rafah to deal a fatal blow to the movement of Palestinian factions, but he said that his army would allow civilians to “leave the combat zones,” without specifying the destination.

According to the United Nations, about 1.4 million people, most of them displaced due to the war, are gathering in Rafah, which has turned into a huge camp, and it is the only large city in the Strip that the Israeli army has not yet invaded by ground.

The United Nations said that “more than half of Gaza’s population is crowded into less than 20% of the Strip’s area.”

Rafah is also the main entry point for aid from Egypt, which is controlled by Israel. Aid through this port is insufficient to meet the needs of the population threatened by famine and epidemics.

Israel says 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza, including 30 believed dead, out of about 250 people kidnapped on October 7.

Negotiations will continue in Cairo until Friday, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, to reach a truce that includes the release of more hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians detained in Israel.

Source: AFP