The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, considers reports of an Israeli military attack on Rafah “worrying.”
The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said on Friday that there are currently 1.4 million Palestinians in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip “without a safe place to go, and they are facing starvation.”
Borrell, in a post on his account on the “X” platform, considered reports of an Israeli military attack on Rafah “worrying.”
He stressed that "the attack on Rafah will have catastrophic consequences that will exacerbate the already deteriorating humanitarian situation on the one hand, and unbearable losses among civilians on the other hand."
Borrell's statements came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the army to prepare a "plan for a broad military operation" in Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians and the pursuit of Hamas members.
The Prime Minister’s Office said, in a written statement, a copy of which was sent to Anadolu: “The goal of the war, which is to destroy Hamas, cannot be achieved when 4 of its battalions remain in Rafah,” without specifying the battalions.
International estimates indicate that there are between 1.2 and 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah after the Israeli army forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to flee to the south.
On Thursday, the US National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby, said, “Any major military operation in Rafah at this time, and under these circumstances, and with the presence of more than a million, and perhaps more than a million and a half, Palestinians seeking asylum and looking for shelter in Rafah, without taking into account the duty of their safety, will be a disaster, and we will not support it.”
Since the beginning of the ground operation launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip on October 27, it has been asking residents to go from the north and center of the Strip to the south, claiming that they are safe areas, but it has not been spared from bombing homes and cars.
As of Friday, the ground operation had reached Khan Yunis and had not extended to Rafah, even though the Israeli army had carried out air strikes and extensive artillery shelling on sites in Rafah since the beginning of the war on October 7.
As a result of the atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip, Israel faces accusations of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice, for the first time in its history, which was met with regional and global welcome for putting an end to Israel’s impunity, while this faced American opposition.
The Israeli army is preparing to carry out a ground operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip
Netanyahu informed Blinken during their meeting Thursday in Israel that it could begin within two weeks at the latest, according to Hebrew media
The Israeli army is preparing to carry out a ground military operation in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, while the army and security services intend to formulate a plan to evacuate residents from the city, according to Hebrew media.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority claimed, “At the request of Egypt and the United States, the ground operation will begin in Rafah after the completion of a large-scale evacuation of civilians from Rafah and its suburbs, and after Tel Aviv and Cairo reached an agreement regarding the Israeli army’s activity against the tunnels along the road in the Philadelphia axis.” (Between Gaza and Egypt).”
According to the broadcaster, “Israel informed a number of countries in the region and the United States that it is preparing for military activity in the Rafah area.”
She said, "Given the demands of Egypt and the United States, the ground operation in Rafah will not begin until two conditions are met: the first is a large-scale evacuation of citizens from Rafah and its surroundings, and the second is an agreement between Israel and Egypt regarding the activity of the Israeli Defense Forces against the tunnels in the Philadelphia axis."
The authority indicated, “The army and security services intend to formulate a plan to evacuate the population from Rafah, as they are studying one of two options: either evacuating the citizens to Khan Yunis, north of Rafah, or allowing tens of thousands of displaced people to return to Rafah to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip.”
On the same level, the Hebrew Channel 12 (privately) said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “informed United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during their meeting, Thursday, (in Israel) that the operation in Rafah may begin within two weeks at the latest.”
In turn, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth (privately) reported that the army "has already approved the ground operation in the Rafah area."
According to the newspaper, “The Israeli army has already approved the plan prepared for the ground maneuver in Rafah, which also includes the evacuation of civilians from there.”
Earlier Friday, Netanyahu asked the army to prepare a “plan for a broad military operation” in Rafah, including the evacuation of civilians and the pursuit of Hamas members, according to a written statement from his office.
According to the statement, "The Council of Ministers plans to evacuate the residents of Rafah and dismantle the Hamas brigades in the region."
The office said: "It is impossible to achieve the war goal of eliminating Hamas while four of its battalions remain in Rafah. On the other hand, it is clear that a strong operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from the combat areas."
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office did not specify the time limit for developing this plan or the launch date of the military operation, which it described as "intensive" in Rafah.
International estimates indicate that there are between 1.2 and 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah after the Israeli army forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to flee to the south.
On Thursday, the US National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby, said, “Any major military operation in Rafah at this time, and under these circumstances, and with the presence of more than a million, and perhaps more than a million and a half, Palestinians seeking asylum and looking for shelter in Rafah, without taking into account the duty of their safety, will be a disaster, and we will not support it.”
Since the beginning of the ground operation launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip on October 27, it has been asking residents to go from the north and center of the Strip to the south, claiming that they are safe areas, but it has not been spared from bombing homes and cars.
As of Friday, the ground operation had reached Khan Yunis and had not extended to Rafah, even though the Israeli army had carried out air strikes and extensive artillery shelling on sites in Rafah since the beginning of the war on October 7.
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