Palestine: The international community warns of catastrophic consequences of the invasion of Rafah, south of Gaza

Algeria – The international community continues its warnings against the Zionist entity’s invasion of the southern city of Rafah, “the last refuge” for the residents of Gaza, amid the occupation’s continued bombing of various areas in the Strip, especially east of Rafah, resulting in the fall of many martyrs.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his deep concern about indications of an imminent large-scale military operation in the city of Rafah. He said that many Palestinians are in a desperate humanitarian situation, and have been repeatedly displaced, and are searching for the safety that they have been denied many times.

Guterres reminded us that the protection of civilians is of the utmost importance in international humanitarian law.

For his part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the occupation’s orders to deport civilians from Rafah, warning that this measure would lead to more martyrs, suffering, and worsening destruction amid an already bleak situation.

For its part, China called on the Zionist entity to stop the attack on the city of Rafah. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that China calls on the Zionist entity to respond to the demands of the international community and stop attacking Rafah, to avoid a more serious humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

Egypt condemned the Zionist attack on the city of Rafah and the resulting Zionist control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that this dangerous escalation threatens the lives of more than a million citizens who depend on this crossing, as it is the main lifeline of the Gaza Strip and the safe outlet for the wounded and sick to exit to receive treatment and for the entry of humanitarian and relief aid. It called on all international parties to intervene and exert the necessary pressure to defuse the current crisis and allow diplomatic efforts to achieve their desired results.

The Kingdom of Oman, in turn, expressed its concern about the continued military escalation by the occupation forces and war crimes and genocide against defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

For its part, South Africa said that the Zionist occupation army’s attack on Rafah would destroy the last refuge for Palestinian survivors in the Strip. In a statement issued by the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa, she expressed her feeling of “astonishment” at the order issued by the Zionist occupation to evacuate Rafah with excessive force, in preparation for its invasion by land.

Save the Children International also warned that the forced displacement of civilians from the city of Rafah would have dire consequences for children. They explained that a possible ground attack on the city would force hundreds of thousands of people to flee and hinder relief efforts in Rafah.

“A new wave of displacement will exacerbate overcrowding and restrict access to food, water, health services and sanitation, leading to increased disease outbreaks, exacerbated levels of hunger and additional loss of life,” said WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris.

Meanwhile, 21 Palestinians, including children and women, were martyred today as a result of the occupation’s bombing of various areas in the Gaza Strip, and the majority of the martyrs were from Rafah. Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that 21 martyrs and dozens of injuries arrived at the Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah.

The occupation army penetrated the Rafah land crossing and closed it completely, halting the movement of passengers and the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.

The occupation also prevented the United Nations from reaching the Rafah land crossing, according to what was reported by a spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke.

APS