A full-scale ground offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah seems imminent as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu has asked military leaders to present a plan to evacuate civilians from the area.
Several world leaders have warned against the move. A senior aid official has been quoted as saying that an assault on Rafah – where about 1.3 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering – would lead to a “bloodbath”, and the UN has appealed against the forced mass displacement.
With more than half of Gaza already under evacuation orders, widespread destruction throughout the coastal strip, and continuing fighting, it was unclear where such a large number of people could safely be moved.
Meanwhile, Qatar has been making tremendous efforts with Egypt and the US to reach a ceasefire to end the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Qatar slammed the Israeli threats to storm Rafah, warning of a humanitarian disaster. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday called for urgent action to prevent Israeli offensive. The ministry underscored Qatar’s rejection of attempts of forced displacement of Palestinians. It reiterated Qatar’s unwavering stance on the justice to the Palestinians and the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani participated in a consultative meeting to discuss the developments in the Gaza Strip held in Riyadh on Friday.
The meeting emphasised the necessity of ceasefire and ensuring protection of civilians in accordance with international laws. It also called for lifting of all restrictions hindering the entry of aid into Gaza, and expressed support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The war on Gaza has left a trail of human suffering and destruction. The conflict had claimed 28,176 lives as of yesterday.
The US also warned against attacking Rafah. The US national Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, said on Thursday that any assault on Rafah without due consideration of civilians would be a disaster and “we would not support it”.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell joined leaders warning against the Israeli offensive on Rafah, saying it would “lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and grave tensions with Egypt”. Gaza’s Hamas rulers said that Israel’s planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah could cause “tens of thousands” of casualties in the city.
