“Serious Repercussions”: Saudi Arabia Warns Israel On Rafah Attack Plan
After Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the security establishment to submit to the Cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the Rafah population and ‘destroying the four Hamas battalions’, Saudi Arabia warned of the very serious repercussions if they go ahead with the plan.
In an official release yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Office said that it is impossible to achieve the goal of the war of eliminating Hamas by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah and “on the contrary, it is clear that intense activity in Rafah requires that civilians evacuate the areas of combat”.
Responding to the plan, in a strong-worded press release the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia warned of the very serious repercussions of storming and targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, which is the last resort for hundreds of thousands of civilians forced by the brutal Israeli aggression to flee.
#Statement | The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia warns of the very serious repercussions of storming and targeting the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/JrdfxLnxaA
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 10, 2024
“The Kingdom affirms its categorical rejection and strong condemnation of their forcible deportation, and renews its demand for an immediate ceasefire,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.
It also said the continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law confirms the need for an urgent convening of the UN Security Council to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian disaster for which everyone who supports the aggression is responsible.
Rafah is where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering now after being chased around since the beginning of the war. US and UN have earlier voiced concern over the Israeli move to assault Rafah. According to United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 600,000 children and their families were displaced in Rafah.
The Israeli occupation force has increased its air strike on the southern cities of Rafah ahead of the said ground offensive. Thousands of Palestinians are now trapped in the small border area. UNICEF warns that “thousands more could die in the violence or by lack of essential services, and further disruption of humanitarian assistance”.
UN spokesperson Stephen Dujarric said UN is “extremely worried” about the possible ground invasion of Israel into Rafah. While talking to reporters in New York, he said, “I think what is clear is that people need to be protected. But we also do not want to see any forced displacement, forced mass displacement of people, which is, by definition, against their will”.
