Rafah
\nThe Israeli regime\u2019s planned invasion of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah has drawn widespread condemnations from international organizations around the world as well as political figures in the West.
\nThe condemnations poured in after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the regime\u2019s military on Friday to \u201cprepare to operate\u201d in and evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground offensive against the densely-populated city.
\nRights groups have already warned against such a move, given the scale of devastation across the Gaza Strip as a result of the months-long Israeli aggression and the huge number of people trapped in the besieged area.
\nRafah, housing more than 1.2 million Palestinians, is the last major population center in the Gaza Strip that Israeli troops have yet to invade and also the main point of entry for desperately-needed relief supplies.
\nJasem Albudaiwi, the secretary general of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said in a statement on Saturday that Israel\u2019s \u201cdeclared intentions\u201d to invade Rafah would be a \u201cblatant violation of international law and humanitarian conventions.\u201d
\nAlbudaiwi added that the planned invasion \u201cthreatens to escalate violence, destabilize the region\u2019s security and stability, and lead to further deterioration and suffering for the Palestinian people.\u201d
\nThe GCC\u2019s chief called on the international community to \u201cconfront these Israeli plans with a spirit of unity and shared responsibility,\u201d and with a \u201cdeep commitment to the principles of peace, justice, and human dignity.\u201d
\nEuropean Union foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell censured Israel\u2019s planned invasion of Rafah and said there are currently 1.4 million Palestinians in the southern city \u201cwithout a safe place to go, facing starvation.\u201d
\n\u201cReports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming,\u201d Borrell said in a post on his X social media account.
\n\u201cIt would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation & the unbearable civilian toll.\u201d
\nIn another post on Saturday, Borrell echoed the warning by several EU member states that an Israeli offensive on Rafah would lead to an \u201cunspeakable humanitarian catastrophe.\u201d
\nThe top EU diplomat stressed that resuming negotiations to free prisoners and suspend hostilities is the \u201conly way to avert a bloodshed.\u201d
\nUS Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called on President Joe Biden to end his support for the Israeli regime\u2019s \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza after more than four months of brutal aggression.
\nThe Palestinian-American Democratic lawmaker said Palestinians sheltering in Rafah have nowhere to go as Israel prepares to launch a major offensive on the city.
\n\u201cOver 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, and now they are being threatened with attacks,\u201d Tlaib said in a post on X.
\n\u201cThere is nowhere left for them to go. When will it be enough for @POTUS to end support for Netanyahu\u2019s genocide?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rafah The Israeli regime\u2019s planned invasion of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah has drawn widespread condemnations from international organizations around the world as well as political figures in the West. The condemnations poured in after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the regime\u2019s military on Friday to \u201cprepare to operate\u201d in and evacuate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-386553","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n