Tel Aviv’s main target is Gaza’s “lifeline” Rafah
Last Updated on May 11, 2024 8:57 am
Israel’s aggression has resumed in Gaza amid ceasefire talks. This time Tel Aviv’s main target is Gaza’s “lifeline” Rafah. Israel has already shelled the area non-stop. The country is gathering weapons and troops along the border with a large number of tanks to carry out larger attacks. In the meantime, it has been reported that 100,000 Palestinians have left Rafah in the face of Israeli forces’ attacks. UN officials confirmed the matter on Friday. AFP, Reuters.
Gaza’s armed forces, Hamas, said Israeli forces attacked the eastern Rafah area. Several areas there have become completely deserted. The United Nations has warned that Gaza is running out of water and food. Because after taking control of the Rafah crossing, the flow of aid into Gaza has stopped. In addition, since the Rafah and Karem Salem crossings are closed, all types of relief supplies from outside Gaza are now under threat. Louise Wateridge, communications officer for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, said Israeli forces had carried out a massive bombardment in Rafah in 24 hours, which was similar to the attacks carried out in the area in the past two weeks.
Georgios Petropoulos, head of OCHA’s sub-office in Gaza, said the situation in the besieged Palestinian territory had reached an “unprecedented level of emergency”. “Recent Israeli evictions from Rafah are forcing more than 110,000 displaced people to move north,” he told a briefing in Geneva via video-link from Rafah.
Most of them are people who have been displaced five or six times. On the other hand, experts are worried about the Israeli ground attack in Gaza’s Rafah. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that Israel’s attack on Rafah would lead to a “humanitarian catastrophe”. UN official Georgios Petropoulos warned, “The movement of medical and humanitarian workers in southern Gaza is being blocked. If more aid does not arrive, the World Food Organization’s aid will run out by next Saturday.
The energy crisis is hampering medical facilities, water supply and sewage systems across Gaza. On the other hand, Israel has been very angry after the announcement of the suspension of arms supplies from its best ally the United States. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed his anger about this. Israel can stand alone. If necessary, we will continue the war alone. If necessary, we will fight with ‘nails’. The Israeli prime minister on Thursday recalled the 1948 war to reject US warnings. He said, 76 years ago, many people were against us in the war of independence. There was also an arms embargo. But because of our strong spirit, bravery and strength of unity, we won that war.
The Israeli army is attacking Rafah with the aim of eliminating the Palestinian independence armed group Hamas. On the other hand, the Biden administration has commented that Israel will never be able to defeat Hamas in the Rafah attack. Spokesman John Kirby said this at a press conference at the White House on Thursday. He said, “Israel has been able to strongly pressure the Hamas group.” That was enough. A renewed invasion of Rafah will only increase the risk to civilians; Nothing more.’
He also said that the US is not helping Israel in the Rafah invasion. But that doesn’t mean that the US is not on Israel’s side or doesn’t want the elimination of Hamas. We are still optimistic about Israel. We are only discussing an alternative to the Rafah invasion.’ On the other hand, Hamas, the ruling political group, claimed that it had done everything it needed to for a much-desired ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. According to them, a ceasefire is possible now only if Israel wants it. This information was given by Hamas in a message addressed to the ruling Fatah and other partners in the Palestinian West Bank on Friday. Hamas representatives left for Qatar’s capital Doha on Friday after the Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, Egypt.
In this context, it is said in the message, “Our representatives have left Cairo for Doha.” The proposal (ceasefire in Gaza), which was put forward through mediators, was rejected by the occupying power (Israel) and objected to several central arguments of the proposal. We came up with the offer and we have no plans to move away from here. So the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupying power. A ceasefire in Gaza is only possible if they want it.