The Israeli operation in Rafah received Arab, regional and international condemnation, after the occupation army took control of the crossing linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt, amid fears of more civilian casualties.
Today, Wednesday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it strongly condemns Israel’s incursion into Rafah, and called for international intervention to prevent the complete invasion of the city.
The statement stated that Qatar “condemns in the strongest terms the bombing by the Israeli occupation forces that targeted the municipality of Rafah, its invasion of the land crossing, and the threat to displace citizens from shelter and housing centers.”
Qatar called for urgent international action to prevent the city from being invaded and the crime of genocide committed, and to provide full protection for civilians in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law.
The UAE also strongly condemned the Israeli forces’ storming and control of the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, warning of the consequences of the military escalation that threatens to cause more innocent victims and exacerbate the humanitarian tragedy that the Strip is witnessing.
The UAE stressed the need not to expose the flow of humanitarian aid to any risks or obstacles that would limit the delivery of life-saving aid to the population in the Gaza Strip.
African denunciation
Africa: The Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said – in a statement on the “X” platform – that he “strongly condemns the extension of this war to the Rafah crossing,” after Israeli tanks took control of the corridor, which is considered key for bringing aid into the besieged Palestinian Strip.
According to the statement, Faki expressed his “deep concern about the war that Israel is waging in Gaza, which at every moment causes a huge number of deaths and the systematic destruction of human living conditions.”
Faki called on the entire international community to effectively coordinate collective action to stop this “bloody escalation.”
The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said – in a statement – that the attack on Rafah, immediately after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) agreed to the ceasefire proposal, is evidence of Israel’s unwillingness for peace and negotiation.
The statement stated that “Israel is determined to continue the war of annihilation and destroy the besieged Palestinians,” and stressed that Israel deserves the strongest forms of condemnation from the international community.
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry also called on the international community to redouble its efforts to ensure that Israel is held accountable under international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also strongly condemned the “brutal and barbaric bombing of the Zionist entity” on the city of Rafah.
Mujahid again called on the Islamic world and other countries to prevent this disaster and deliver humanitarian aid.
For its part, Russia said – today – that the war in the Gaza Strip is escalating due to Israel’s incursion into Rafah, and that Moscow does not yet see prospects for a peace settlement in Gaza or in the Middle East in general.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters, “The implementation of an Israeli ground military operation in Rafah is an additional factor that destabilizes the entire region.”
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli army announced “operational control” of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip to Egypt, hours after Hamas announced its approval of the mediators’ proposal for a ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners and detainees.
Since October 7, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza, leaving about 34,789 martyrs, 87,204 injured, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues the war despite the issuance of a resolution by the UN Security Council to stop the fighting immediately, and also despite the International Court of Justice demanding immediate measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.