The leader of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stated on the social network X that Israel must guarantee the safety of civilians in the southern city of Rafah in line with international law.
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“Forcing civilians to evacuate Rafah to unsafe areas is unacceptable. Israel has an obligation under international law to ensure the safety of civilians,” Borrell wrote.
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He also urged Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah.Doing so will make the already serious humanitarian crisis even worse,” the head of EU diplomacy stressed.
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The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, also previously urged Israel not to carry out a military operation in Rafah and criticized the idea of making civilians travel to dangerous areas as unacceptable.
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Israeli ground forces entered Palestinian Rafah on Tuesday night, and Israeli tanks gained operational control over the territory of the Rafah checkpoint from the Gaza Strip. Earlier, the press service of the Israeli army said that leaflets were dropped urging residents of the eastern part of Rafah to evacuate before the planned operation.
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Rafah is home to approximately 1.4 million Palestinians, many of whom escaped Israeli bombing in other parts of the Gaza Strip. According to the UN, Israel is effectively preventing the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the enclave's residents.
