The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, declared on Monday February 12 that any Israeli attack on the Palestinian Rafah would end humanitarian aid and worsen the humanitarian catastrophe, according to statements broadcast by the Al Qahera News television channel.
His statements come following a ground operation carried out on Sunday evening by Israeli forces, accompanied by bombings, to free two Israeli-Argentine hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported “around 100 deaths” in this “attack”, including strikes against numerous buildings in Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians, according to the UN, are five times the original population of the city.
Borell also insisted on the role of UNRWA, emphasizing that “there is no alternative to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. »
The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding the evacuation of 1.7 million people, without specifying where they might go.
Netanyahu last week ordered the army to prepare an offensive on this town in southern Gaza, which has become the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have fled the war that has raged for four months leaving 28,340 dead in the Strip. Gaza, mostly civilians.
This announced offensive on the overpopulated city is causing serious concern abroad and American President Joe Biden, whose country is Israel’s main ally, urged Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to “guarantee” the security of the population.
This article is originally published on french.ahram.org.eg
