‘A slaughter’: The warnings by world leaders, aid agencies against Rafah offensive
For many months, there have been repeated calls from world leaders, diplomats and aid agencies urging Israel not to go ahead with a planned ground offensive in Rafah.
Here are some of those warnings:
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a ground assault on Rafah would “put the final nail in the coffin” for humanitarian aid operations in the Gaza Strip.
- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said, “Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death” for more than a million displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, with an official saying “it could be a slaughter of civilians”.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said it would be “completely unacceptable” for Israel to attack Rafah.
- A statement issued by the foreign ministers of 26 member states of the EU called on Netanyahu not to go ahead with the offensive, saying it would “worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation”.
- Joe Biden and other US officials have repeatedly warned against a Rafah offensive, with the US president reportedly telling Netanyahu the United States would oppose the offensive unless adequate provisions were made to move and care for the Palestinians sheltering there.
- Multiple aid agencies have warned against a Rafah offensive, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, which said it “would profoundly exacerbate the already catastrophic levels of need and the humanitarian emergency for millions of civilians with nowhere left to go”.
Israeli defence minister tells US counterpart Israel had ‘no choice’ over Rafah offensive
Yoav Gallant has told his American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, that Israel was left with “no choice” but to launch its offensive on Rafah. In an overnight phone call, Gallant updated Austin on Sunday’s rocket barrage launched from Rafah on an Israeli army position on the border, his office said.
The minister is reported to have blamed Hamas for refusing any proposal that would allow for a temporary ceasefire proposal. Gallant’s office said Gallant then told Austin, “There was no choice left, and the meaning was the start of the Israeli operation in Rafah.”
A ceasefire is a choice...
Ban Aljazeera in Israel -> Launch Rafah offensive. The attack on Kerem Shalom military outpost is another convenient excuse. They have been waiting for an escalation to go into Rafah for over a month now.
Fourth soldier dead in Sunday’s rocket attack near Karem Abu Salem
The Israeli army has announced the death of a fourth soldier killed in Sunday’s attack near Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) in southern Israel. He was identified as Sargeant Michael Ruzal, 18, of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, from Rishon Lezion, the army said on X.
The rocket attack, which wounded at least 10 others, was claimed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
‘The start of a nightmarish scenario’
Samah Hadid, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Refugee Council, says Israel’s evacuation order is “completely problematic, inhumane and unsafe”. “The al-Mawasi where people are being ordered to evacuate to is not equipped to accommodate” more internally displaced people as it already hosts hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Hadid told Al Jazeera.
"Al-Mawasi does not have the basic infrastructure in place to service and support the current displaced population, let alone the additional group of people moving towards there,” Hadid said. She added that more than one million people now have to face further displacement and death.
Hadid called the evacuation order “the start of a nightmare scenario for the people of Rafah who have been terrified for months now over what it is to come”.
She said aid agencies “are also terrified” because a Rafah offensive would lead to the collapse of the aid response. “It’s really reliant on the Rafah hub to distribute aid to organise aid throughout that area,” Hadid added.
“We have been warning that a military offensive in Rafah would cause mass atrocities, it would cause mass civilian deaths,” Hadid said, calling on the international community and Israel’s allies “to put a stop to this”.
“Right now, we need every ally of the Israeli government, including the US government, to increase its pressure, stop the arms sales, put pressure on Israel to put a stop to this offensive which would lead to mass atrocities.”
Israeli military drops leaflets over Rafah warning of impending operations
The Israeli military has begun dropping red leaflets on the eastern areas of Rafah, telling Palestinians to flee to al-Mawasi, claiming that the displacement will be “temporary”. The leaflets state: “To all of the residents and those currently sheltering in the Rafah Camp, the Brazil Camp and the neighbourhoods of Al-Shabura and Al-Zohour. Remaining in these areas puts your lives in danger.”
The leaflets also warn that the Israeli military “is about to operate with force against the terror organizations in the area you currently reside”, adding that anyone in the area puts themselves and their family members in danger.
The Israeli military has regularly dropped leaflets over the Gaza Strip warning of impending attacks and information about so-called safe zones. However, its actions on the ground have often contradicted the information provided.
In December, Palestinians in Gaza, with limited electricity and internet, were not able to access evacuation details available via a QR code on leaflets dropped by the Israeli army.
A man reads one of the leaflets dropped by the Israeli army in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 16
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