Australia, Canada and New Zealand say there is “nowhere else for civilians to go” and urge Israel to “listen to its friends”.
An exodus from the southern city of Gaza, once declared a “safe zone” where more than half of the enclave's population fled, is underway, and world leaders have urged Israel to abandon plans for a ground attack on Rafah. The pressure is increasing.
Australia, Canada and New Zealand issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for an “immediate” humanitarian cease-fire as Israel ramps up airstrikes and artillery bombardment, calling for an “immediate” humanitarian cease-fire and saying Israel's planned operations would be “devastating” to the occupation of the Palestinians. He warned that it would have an impact. Local shelter.
“There is no other place for civilians to go,” the three prime ministers Anthony Albanese, Justin Trudeau and Christopher Luxon said, adding that Israel “must listen to its friends.”
The leaders said that Israel's relentless shelling across the entire Gaza Strip has forced many of its own nationals and family members among an estimated 1.4 million displaced Palestinians forced into makeshift camps in Gaza's southernmost city. I pointed out that there is.
joint statement with @JustinTrudeau and @chrisluxonmp. pic.twitter.com/Egqy6ZyrtZ
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 15, 2024
Spain and Ireland also put pressure on Israel on Wednesday, calling on the European Commission to urgently investigate whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in the Gaza Strip.
In a joint letter, Spanish and Irish Prime Ministers Pedro Sánchez and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the attack on Prime Minister Rafah posed a “serious and imminent threat that the international community must urgently confront”. .
“Let's stop and think seriously.”
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Israel should “stop and think seriously” before launching a ground invasion of Rafah.
Asked whether Israel had violated international law, he said: They have nowhere to go. ”
alexander de crooThe Belgian prime minister said Operation Rafah could cause an “unmitigated humanitarian catastrophe”. Annalena BurbockForeign Minister of Germany, one of Israel's most loyal allies.
US President Joe Biden, who has faced widespread criticism for his unconditional support for Israel's war in Gaza, has reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behind closed doors.
Recalling Biden's remarks last week that Israel's response to the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered the current conflict was “overreach,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said: He said the United States should reduce arms supplies to Israel.
“If you think too many people are being killed, then you should reduce the provision of weapons to prevent so many people from being killed,” Borrell told reporters after a meeting of EU development aid ministers in Brussels. Maybe,” he said.
Despite pressure from foreign governments and aid agencies to cancel its planned Operation Rafah, Israel insists it needs to advance into the city near the Egyptian border and eliminate Hamas battalions. ing.
“We will fight until complete victory, and this includes strong action in Rafah after allowing civilians to leave the combat zone,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
If the attack were to go ahead, the risk of atrocities was “serious, real and high”, said Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.
At least 28,576 Palestinians have been killed and 68,291 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The death toll in Israel from Hamas-led attacks stands at 1,139.