International alarm over Israel’s plans for a ground attack on Rafah, in southern Gaza, has intensified in recent days as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press ahead with plans to invade the town near the Egyptian border.
More than half of the Gaza Strip’s total population of more than two million takes refuge in Rafah, an area of about 25 square miles, according to the United Nations. Many of them were repeatedly pushed south by Israeli military orders to move into the so-called safe zones. Now they are trapped in the southernmost tip of Gaza, living largely in makeshift tents with little food or clean water, under aerial bombardment and awaiting the terrifying prospect of soldiers advancing on them again.
Mr Netanyahu ordered the Israeli army to draw up plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah before the attack, although rights groups say there is little chance of an evacuation on such a scale under international law. They also say that because Rafah is the main gateway for aid to Gaza, any military operations there would have devastating consequences for the entire enclave.
Warnings against the attack have come from almost every part of the world, including Israel’s strongest allies.
Here are some of the most notable.
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The United States: A ground invasion of Rafah should not proceed “without a credible and workable plan” to ensure the safety of displaced civilians, President Biden told Mr. Netanyahu on Sunday, according to the White House.
The US is the top financial backer of the Israeli military and its staunchest diplomatic ally. On Tuesday, John F. Kirby, Mr. Biden’s national security communications adviser, declined to answer questions about what the United States would do if Israel moved on to Rafah without such a plan, saying: “Let’s see what they come up with.” ».
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South Africa: The government asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the UN’s top court, to consider further emergency measures against Israel in light of the impending attack, saying it would violate the court’s January order that Israel take preventive measures to prevent a genocide. .
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Britain: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said his country was “very concerned about what is happening in Rafah” and wanted Israel to “stop and think very seriously before taking any further action” there. “It is impossible to see how you can fight among these people,” he added. “There’s nowhere for them to go.”
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Other major European nations and the European Union: France is strongly opposed to an attack on Rafa, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he told Mr Netanyahu in a telephone call. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the attack would be “humanitarian disaster“, and Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Ide, warned that he would “make humanitarian support practically impossible.”
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell Fontelles, denounced the idea that Israel could successfully evacuate all civilians from Rafah before a ground offensive, saying this week: “Will they evacuate? Where? To the moon?”
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Important states of the Middle East: Egypt, which borders Gaza and hosts the current ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, has flatly refused to allow large numbers of Palestinians to enter the country from Rafah, fearing their displacement could be permanent. Qatar, another key mediator, as well as Jordan and Saudi Arabia have also warned Israel not to pressure Rafah.
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Australia, Canada, New Zealand: The prime ministers of the three nations issued a joint statement calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in light of Israel’s plans for Rafah, adding that international consensus against the attack was growing. “Israel must listen to its friends and listen to the international community,” the statement said. “The protection of civilians is of the utmost importance and a requirement under international humanitarian law.”
Warnings have also come from top UN officials and aid groups:
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The United Nations: UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said Palestinians in Rafah were “staring death in the face” and military operations there “could lead to carnage”. He added: “The government of Israel cannot continue to ignore these calls. History will not be kind.”
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that “beyond the pain and suffering of bombs and bullets”, an invasion of Rafah could end the “meager” humanitarian aid entering the enclave, with ” huge consequences for all Gazans, including the hundreds of thousands who are at serious risk of starvation and famine in the north.”
Asked whether the United Nations would help with evacuation efforts, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said it “will not participate in forced displacement.”
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International Criminal Court: Karim Khan, the Hague tribunal’s chief prosecutor, said it was “deep concernabout a possible Israeli attack on Rafah and stressed that he had “not seen any noticeable change in Israel’s behavior” during his office’s investigation into possible war crimes. “Those who do not comply with the law should not complain later when my office takes action on its mandate,” he said.
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International Committee of the Red Cross: “Countless lives hang in the balance,” the ICRC said, adding that international humanitarian law “protects all civilians from the effects of hostilities, including those who may not be able to leave Rafah.”
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Doctors Without Borders: Israel’s ground attack on Rafah “must not go ahead”, said Meinie Nicolai, the charity’s leader, and called on the US and other governments that support Israel “to take concrete action to bring about a complete and lasting halt to fire. Political rhetoric is not enough.”
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Save the children: “Much of the international community has failed tests of its commitment to protect children so far,” the organization said, warning that 610,000 Palestinian children are in Rafah. “This is the most serious test of all.”
