Israeli tanks entered Rafah on Tuesday morning despite months of warnings by the regime’s allies, the UN and aid groups that any invasion of the city would be a humanitarian catastrophe.
More than half of the population of Gaza, about 1.4 million people, the majority of whom arrived having already been displaced from north are trapped in Rafah.
The Israeli occupation forces launched the invasion, first taking the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, only hours after the Hamas resistance movement agreed to Egypt and Qatar-proposed ceasefire deal.
Tyrkiye condemns Rafah attack
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday night called on the Zionist regime to immediately withdraw from the city of Rafah.
Stating that any attack on Rafah will affect the whole world, he said the invasion shows the regime’s intention at the time Hamas agreed to the ceasefire proposal.
Türkiye's Vice President, Cevdet Yilmaz, earlier accused Israel of committing a new war crime in Palestinian territories with a ground attack on Rafah,
Yilmaz criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates for these actions, asserting that they would eventually be held accountable for committing crimes against humanity.
Canada: Israel's Rafah offensive unacceptable
One of the Zionist regime’s key allies, Canada has also expressed concern over the Israeli attack, calling it completely unacceptable.
The situation in the Palestinian territories is catastrophic and the majority of the people of this city are now displaced and have nowhere to go, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly was quoted as saying.
Ahmed Hussen, a Canadian lawyer and politician who has been serving as the Minister of International Development also said that his country is disappointed that the attack had taken place.
Germany warns of Rafah catastrophe
The German Foreign Minister warned in a message that one million Palestinians who took refuge in Rafah have nowhere to go.
I am warning about the massive attack on Rafah. A million people cannot disappear into thin air. They need immediate protection and continued humanitarian assistance, Annalena Baerbock wrote on her X social media network.
She also called on the Zionist regime to open the border crossings of Rafah and Karam Shalom immediately and allow aid into Gaza.
Germany is the second major supplier of arms and ammunition to Israel after the United States and has so far ignored calls from the German public and rights groups to stop arming the regime.
EU chief raps Rafah offensive
European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday expressed concern over what he called Israel's disregard of calls from the international community.
“I’m afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of civilian casualties, whatever they say. There are 600,000 children in Gaza, they will be pushed to so-called safe zones”, Borrell said.
“The will to continue the war will produce another great humanitarian crisis, bigger than it is already,” he added.
Without condemning the illegal actions of the Zionist regime, the EU foreign policy chief limited himself to this sentence: An immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages (Israeli prisoners) is necessary.
UN, aid groups make desperate calls
The United Nations and several aid agencies have slammed the Israeli military for cutting off an essential aid route by seizing Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
The closure ofRafah and Kerem Shalom crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation. They must be reopened immediately, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.
In the continuation of this statement, Guterres described the full-scale attack on Rafah as a human disaster, a strategic mistake, a political disaster and a humanitarian nightmare.
Guterres called the current period a decisive moment for the Palestinian people, the Zionist regime and the fate of the entire region and demanded a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas tp prevent bloodshed in Rafah.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also warned that civilian deaths, suffering and destruction are set to increase beyond already unbearable levels following Israel’s orders for Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah.
The World Health Organization has also issued a warning, saying the Rafah invasion will intensify humanitarian needs in the territory that is already lacking essential items.
4399
Your Comment