Criticism continued over the Israeli attack in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and the closure of the land crossing with Egypt, which threatens to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, while the United States confirmed that Israel is conducting a “limited operation” in the region.
Although the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced, on Monday evening, its acceptance of a proposed ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army announced, yesterday morning, Tuesday, its control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt.
King Abdullah II of Jordan stressed that Israel’s control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing and its closure to the entry of aid will exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
A statement by the Jordanian Royal Court stated that King Abdullah stressed “the necessity of preventing the Israeli ground military operation on Rafah, which shelters about 1.5 million Gazans who were displaced there as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Strip.”
For his part, Martin Griffiths, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that the Israeli evacuation orders in Rafah and the ground operation will lead to more death and displacement.
Griffiths stressed that the closure of the Rafah crossing prevents the arrival of fuel and restricts the movement of aid and personnel to and from Gaza, and pointed out that “United Nations teams are still present in Rafah, where more than a million people live, including 600,000 children.”
For his part, the British Deputy Foreign Secretary considered that Israel’s attack on Rafah would violate international law and would not lead to the elimination of Hamas, which is the goal that Israel says it seeks to achieve.
Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin described Israel’s control of the Rafah crossing as “completely unacceptable”, indicated that invading Rafah would lead to dire consequences, and spoke of an urgent need for an immediate ceasefire.
Israel’s justifications
And in Washington, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby EThe Israeli military informed the United States that the attack on Rafah was a “limited operation,” and stated that Israel took this step in order to “prevent Hamas from transferring weapons to Gaza.”
Kirby added, “Our views on Rafah are the same. We have repeatedly said that we do not support a comprehensive ground operation against Rafah, which has such a dense population.”
He pointed out that US President Joe Biden “clearly” expressed his concerns about the humanitarian crisis that the attack on Rafah might create, during his discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Kirby stressed the need for the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings to remain open to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office had confirmed that the War Council had decided “unanimously to continue the military operation in Rafah,” under the pretext of “exerting pressure on Hamas” to release detainees in Gaza and achieve other war goals.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said, “The military operation in Rafah will not stop until the elimination of Hamas or the return of the kidnapped,” and he vowed that the Israeli army would deepen the military operation in Rafah, if a settlement was not reached in order to recover the detainees, as he put it.
