Senior international officials have criticized Israel’s military action in eastern Rafah, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents to evacuate immediately for an operation in the city. Approximately 50,000 people have left the southern Gaza city in the past 48 hours, according to a senior official at the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). Many of those fleeing have previously been displaced several times as Israel’s focus has shifted from city to city.
Hamas has called the Israeli army’s move on Rafah a “humanitarian catastrophe,” posing a direct threat to over 1.5 million displaced Palestinians. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed objections to a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, warning of devastating impacts on Palestinian civilians.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for the immediate opening of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings. Qatar has strongly condemned the bombing of the Rafah governorate by Israeli forces, as well as the threat to displace citizens from accommodation and shelter centers.
The African Union and Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have also condemned the extension of the war to the Rafah crossing, the only corridor for humanitarian aid. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov described the situation in Rafah as a “humanitarian disaster.” The ongoing conflict in Rafah has sparked international concern and calls for a peaceful resolution to protect the civilians caught in the midst of the violence.