The people of Rafah and those displaced there: We appeal to the world to protect civilians in the most crowded cities in the world

The people of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and those displaced there as a result of the ongoing Israeli bombing, appealed to the world “to stand up to its responsibilities to protect civilians in the most crowded and congested cities in the world.”

They said in a statement today, Friday: “Rafah Governorate will witness an unprecedented massacre of hundreds of thousands of its residents if the Israeli occupation forces enter it.”

The statement added: "The residents of Rafah have united their position by not leaving it, even if the enemy tries to evacuate it before invading it, and they prefer to die in their homes and tents rather than move to any other area."

The statement concluded: “We call on the world to stand up to its responsibilities to protect civilians in the world’s most crowded and congested cities.”

It is noteworthy that last Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a discussion on the issue of preparations to carry out the civilian operations necessary for the army forces’ ground incursion into the city of Rafah, and Gallant stressed “the need to focus on evacuating civilians from Rafah.”

It is worth noting that two Israeli sources told CNN last Monday that Israel was about to take its first steps towards launching a ground attack on Rafah this week, but postponed those plans while it was considering a response to the recent Iranian attack.

At dawn on Friday, Western media reported that explosions were heard near Isfahan Airport and the Hashtam Shakari military air base in Iran, while an American official confirmed that “the Israeli attack on Iran had begun,” noting that “ Israel had informed the United States in advance  of the strike.”

Iranian officials denied any attack and   confirmed that the sound of explosions in Isfahan was the result of the activation of the Iranian air defense system.

Israeli security and government sources told the same newspaper that  Israel will not claim responsibility  for the attack on Iran for “strategic reasons.”