Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that his troops will advance on the Gazan city of Rafah , disregarding outside pleas to reconsider.
French President Emmanuel Macron was among those cautioning Mr. Netanyahu, stating that the human cost of Israel’s operation in Gaza was “intolerable”.
However, Israel PM Netanyahu has commanded his army to prepare for a ground assault.
Approximately 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking shelter in Rafah, which has already faced bombardment.
Mr. Netanyahu pledged to continue with a “powerful” assault, asserting that Hamas, the group controlling Gaza, must be eradicated from the southern city.
“We will fight until complete victory, and this includes a robust action in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to evacuate the battle zones,” he declared.
President Macron telephoned Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday to communicate that Israel’s operations in Gaza “must cease”.
He conveyed “France’s staunch opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah, which could only result in a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions”.
Prime ministers of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand r
The prime ministers of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand released a joint statement expressing their “grave concern” that a military operation in Rafah would be “catastrophic”.
“We urge the Israeli government not to pursue this course,” the statement emphasized, adding “the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating”.
During a visit to Israel, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned that individuals in Rafah with nowhere to go cannot “simply vanish into thin air”.
Spain and the Republic of Ireland have requested the EU, of which they are members, to urgently assess whether Israel is adhering to its human rights obligations in Gaza under an agreement linking rights to trade.
Health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory reports that Israel’s offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 28,576 people, mostly women and children.
Israel took action after Hamas-led gunmen killed at least 1,200 people and seized 253 hostages in a surprise attack on its territory on 7 October.
In the earlier days of the war, Israel had instructed Palestinians to seek refuge in Rafah as the Israeli military moved against the northern cities.
Rafah is Gaza’s southern-most and features a crossing point into Egypt where humanitarian aid has been allowed to enter the Strip.
Now Israeli authorities want civilians to relocate to what they call a “humanitarian zone” – a thin strip of mainly agricultural land along the Mediterranean coast known as al-Mawasi.
Among the displaced civilians in Rafah was Ahlam Abu Assi, who told AFP news agency she “would rather die” there than return to famine-like conditions like those experienced by relatives who had stayed in Gaza City.
“My son and his children have nothing to eat. They cook a handful of rice and save it for the next day,” she said.