The EU on Wednesday urged Israel to end its military operation in Rafah “immediately,” amid growing concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“This operation is further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering,” the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement.
“The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and to reopen the crossing point of Rafah,” Borrell added, warning that, “should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel.”
The United Nations has insisted “a large-scale Israeli offensive in Rafah must be prevented at all costs” and warned of “catastrophic consequences in the densely populated southern area in Gaza”
The U.N. relief and works agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates that nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah since May 6 and they face “constant exhaustion, hunger and fear.”
“Nowhere is safe. An immediate ceasefire is the only hope,” UNRWA added.
Israel started a military offensive in eastern Rafah last week, forcing thousands of Palestinians to evacuate the area. Countries around the world, including Israel’s Western allies, have warned an assault on Rafah — where 1.4 million people have sought shelter according to the U.N. — would exacerbate the situation inside the Gaza Strip.
Israel had previously asserted that a ground operation into Rafah was necessary to eliminate Hamas, a stated goal of the war it declared on the Islamist militant group following its Oct. 7 terror attack which left around 1,200 people dead in Israel.
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