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International warnings continued of a possible Israeli occupation army invasion of the city of Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people from several areas in the Gaza Strip due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, while the occupation government appealed to United Nations agencies to cooperate with it to evacuate the city.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, considered that the possibility of a complete Israeli incursion into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip is “terrifying,” adding, “We can imagine what awaits us.”

He pointed out that "what happened in light of the massacre that has occurred so far in Gaza makes us fully imagine what awaits us in Rafah."

Turk said in a statement on Monday, "The incursion into Rafah may mean the end of the meager aid that was entering Gaza, and carrying out such an operation in Rafah under the current circumstances threatens more crimes."

The United Nations Commissioner urged world powers to work to "control rather than enable" with increasing fears of an imminent ground incursion into an area where more than a million Palestinians are besieged in the southern Gaza Strip, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out a ground attack.

He continued, "Any potential large-scale military incursion into Rafah - where about 1.5 million Palestinians are gathered on the Egyptian border without having anywhere else to flee - is terrifying, given the possibility of a very large number of civilian deaths and injuries, and here too most of them are civilians." Children and women, unfortunately.”

He said, "In addition to the pain and suffering caused by bombs and bullets, this incursion into Rafah may also mean stopping the meager humanitarian aid that was entering and being distributed, with the resulting huge impacts on the entire Gaza Strip, including hundreds of thousands who are at risk of starvation and famine." in the north".

Turk said, "My office has repeatedly warned against actions that violate the laws of war. The possibility of such an operation occurring in Rafah under the current circumstances threatens to lead to more brutal crimes."

He explained, “Those who defy international law have been warned, and the warning must be followed by accountability, and the world must not allow this to happen, and those with influence must control rather than enable, and there must be an immediate ceasefire, and all hostages must be released.” "And there must be a renewed collective determination to reach a political solution."

For his part, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said, “I am deeply concerned about the bombing and possible Israeli ground incursion into Rafah,” vowing to pursue any party that violates international laws.

Khan said in a statement published on the X platform that his office’s investigation into Gaza “is moving forward as a matter of extreme urgency.”

European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell also warned of a humanitarian catastrophe that he said was about to occur in the city of Rafah, calling on European officials to do more than express their concern.

Borrell said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not listen to anyone, and that he does not respond to repeated European Union calls not to target civilians.

Israeli plan

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesman Elon Levy accused UN agencies working in the Gaza Strip of obstructing Israel's efforts to provide security for civilians in Rafah, he claimed.

Levy said in an interview with the American CNN network that Israel wants to provide safe corridors for the evacuation of civilians so that Hamas does not use them as human shields, as he put it.

The Israeli government spokesman also appealed to United Nations agencies to cooperate with Israel regarding a plan being developed by the occupation army to evacuate civilians from the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

“Do not say it cannot be done, engage with us to find a solution,” Levy said, adding that international officials “by asking Israel not to launch an attack because civilians will be harmed, but resisting efforts to remove civilians from harm’s way, are complicit in the human shield strategy pursued by the movement.” agitation".

Human rights warnings

In a related context, Doctors Without Borders described the ground attack announced by Israel on Rafah as being disastrous, and stressed that it must not proceed with it, calling on Israel to stop it immediately.

Doctors Without Borders called on all supporting governments - including the United States - to take concrete measures for a ceasefire, noting that political rhetoric is not enough.

She pointed out that there is no safe place in Gaza, adding that repeated forced displacements have pushed people to Rafah, and they are trapped in a small plot and have no options.

Doctors Without Borders explained that the needs are enormous, and the situation requires a safe humanitarian response on a much larger scale in the Gaza Strip.

Amnesty International published an investigation that it said revealed new evidence regarding 4 Israeli raids on Rafah last December and January, which resulted in the killing of at least 95 civilians, including 42 children.

Amnesty said the investigation found no indication that the residential buildings bombed by the Israeli army could be considered legitimate military targets.

The organization suggested that all four raids were direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects, and demanded that they be investigated as war crimes.

Amnesty indicated that these attacks confirm an ongoing pattern of Israeli forces flagrantly violating international law, which contradicts the claims of the Israeli authorities that they are taking strict precautions to reduce harm to civilians.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies