Israel’s military has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.
Here’s the latest about global reactions:
Quick Read
Israeli Military Orders Evacuation in Rafah Ahead of Possible Ground Invasion:
- Evacuation Order: The Israeli military has instructed approximately 100,000 residents of Rafah, in southern Gaza, to evacuate, indicating that a ground invasion might be imminent.
- Impact on Ceasefire Efforts: This move complicates ongoing international efforts to mediate a ceasefire, with key mediators including Hamas and Qatar indicating that an invasion could derail these negotiations.
- Description of Rafah: Israel labels Rafah as a significant stronghold of Hamas and asserts that a ground invasion is necessary to subdue the militant group.
- Humanitarian Concerns: The potential invasion raises significant humanitarian concerns due to the dense population of the area and the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
- International Responses: Countries and international organizations are urging restraint and cautioning against an escalation that could lead to a humanitarian disaster, emphasizing the need to protect civilians and comply with international law.
The Associated Press has the story:
Global reactions on Israeli military evacuation orders of Rafah ahead of ground invasion
Newslooks- (AP)
Israel’s military has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.
The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.
Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said some 100,000 people were being ordered to move to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi. He said Israel was preparing a “limited scope operation” and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of the city.
The Israel-Hamas war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction in several towns and cities. The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, abducting about 250 people and killing around 1,200, mostly civilians. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
EGYPT SAYS SUCH AN ESCALATION WILL CAUSE GRAVE HUMANITARIAN RISKS TO OVER A MILLION PALESTINIANS PACKED IN THE CITY
CAIRO — Egypt has urged Israel to “exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation at this extremely sensitive time in the process of cease-fire negotiations.”
In a statement Monday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned against Israel’s imminent offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. It says such an escalation will cause grave humanitarian risks to over a million Palestinians packed in the city.
The statement said Egypt continues to communicate with all parties to “prevent the situation from getting worse or getting out of control.”
Egypt has been a key mediator in ongoing efforts to broker a cease-fire that would halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
GERMANY, FRANCE REITERATE OPPOSITION TO ISRAEL’S RAFAH OFFENSIVE
BERLIN — Germany and France have reiterated their opposition to Israel’s planned offensive on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said Monday that more than 1 million people are currently living in the area, adding that “these people need protection … and the German government and the foreign minister have already said repeatedly in the past that a large-scale ground offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian disaster.”
At the same time, the spokesperson, Kathrin Deschauer, condemned the continued attacks by Hamas on Israel from the Gaza Strip, and called for the release of over 100 people “who are still held hostage by Hamas, who need to be freed.”
All sides must now make “maximum efforts,” she said, so that Palestinians in Gaza can be supplied with humanitarian goods and the hostages can be freed at the same time.
In Paris, the Foreign Ministry reiterated France’s “firm opposition to Israel’s offensive in Rafah,” saying more than 1.3 million people are “in grave situation” after seeking shelter there.
France warned that “displacing civilian population by force constitutes a war crime under international law.”
The Foreign Ministry reiterated its position on the Israel-Hamas war, demanding an immediate release of Israeli hostages and a sustained cease-fire in Gaza to protect civilians.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and urged him to follow through with the negotiations that could ‘’lead to the release of hostages, the protection of civilians by a cease-fire and regional de-escalation,’’ according to Macron’s office.
“’The destiny of the Palestinians of Gaza can no longer be subject to the terrorist actions of Hamas, and the Israeli operations should stop,’’ Macron said, and reiterated his ‘’firmest opposition’’ to an Israeli offensive in Rafah.
HAMAS WARNS ISRAEL THAT A RAFAH INVASION WON’T BE A ‘PICNIC’
BEIRUT — The militant Palestinian group Hamas warned Israel on Monday that any military operation in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip “will not be a picnic.”
Hamas said in statement that Palestinian militant groups, led by Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, “are ready to defend our people and defeat the enemy.”
The statement was the first official comment since the Israeli army ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Rafah to start evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.
Hamas called on the international community to move quickly “to stop the crime that is threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.” It also called on international agencies including the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees to stay in Rafah and support the people there.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY REPORTS 52 DEAD IN THE LAST 24 HOURS
BEIRUT — The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday the bodies of 52 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 90 wounded, it said in its daily report.
That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least 34,735 the ministry said, and 78,108 wounded.
The Health Ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its tallies, but says that women and children make up around two-thirds of those killed.
The Israeli military says it has killed 13,000 militants, without providing evidence to back up the claim.
DUTCH MINISTER CALLS FOR A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION TO END CLASHES ALONG LEBANON-ISRAEL BORDER
BEIRUT — Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot on Monday called for an urgent “diplomatic solution” to end intensifying clashes between the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group and the Israeli military along the tense Lebanon-Israel border.
“The Netherlands has grave concerns about rising tensions in the border region and intensified fighting, and we regret the loss of innocent civilian lives,” Bruins Slot said following a meeting with her Lebanese counterpart, caretaker Foreign Minister Fouad Bou Habib in Beirut. “And this has implications for Lebanon and the wider region.”
Israel, which sees Hezbollah as its most direct threat, has not ruled out a war in southern Lebanon. It estimates that the Iran-backed Shiite group has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at the country. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a tense stalemate.
Western diplomats have scrambled to halt the hostilities. Hezbollah, and ally of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, has maintained that it would stop its attacks on northern Israel when the Hamas-Israel war ends.
RAFAH INVASION COULD BE THE DEADLIEST IN THE CONFLICT, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL SAYS
JERUSALEM — The Norwegian Refugee Council has condemned the Israeli army’s “forced, unlawful” evacuation order in Rafah, saying that it could lead to “the deadliest phase of this conflict.”
Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the international nonprofit organization, says there are not enough resources in Israel’s self-declared Muwasi humanitarian zone, where the army instructed some 100,000 people in Rafah to relocate on Monday.
“The area is already overstretched and devoid of vital services,” Egeland said.
He says his organization and other international humanitarian groups are struggling to provide essential support for Palestinians in Gaza. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are currently located in Rafah, while Israel’s government has vowed to press on with a military operation in Gaza’s southernmost city.
UNRWA SAYS IT WON’T COMPLY WITH AN ISRAELI EVACUATION ORDER FOR RAFAH
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — The United Nations agency serving Palestinian refugees says it will not comply with an Israeli military order to evacuate parts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, says the agency has not evacuated the area and has no plans to do so. She says it has thousands of employees in the city.
“UNRWA will not take part in any forced evacuation of the population in Rafah or elsewhere in Gaza,” she said. “We are committed to staying and delivering humanitarian assistance.” She called for a cease-fire.
Relations between Israel and UNRWA have long been strained and further deteriorated during the seven-month war.
Israel has accused UNRWA of collaborating with the Hamas militant group and called for the agency’s closure.
UNRWA, the largest international provider of aid and services in Gaza, denies the accusations.
GERMANY CRITICIZES ISRAEL’S SHUTDOWN OF AL JAZEERA
BERLIN — Germany’s Foreign Office on Monday condemned the shutdown of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network in Israel.
The Foreign Office wrote on X that “a free and diverse press landscape is the cornerstone of every liberal democracy. In times of conflict especially, it is of crucial importance to protect the freedom of the press.”
“The decision of the Israeli authorities to shut down Al Jazeera in Israel is the wrong signal,” the ministry said.
Germany has for decades been a staunch supporter of Israel. Berlin, however, has gradually shifted its tone as civilian casualties in Gaza have soared, becoming increasingly critical of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and speaking out against a ground offensive in Rafah.
ISRAELI ARMY TELLS PALESTINIANS TO EVACUATE PARTS OF RAFAH
JERUSALEM — The Israeli army has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent.
The announcement on Monday complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators, including the director of the CIA, to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar, a key mediator, have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.
Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, said some 100,000 people were being ordered to move to a nearby Israel-declared humanitarian zone called Muwasi. He said Israel was preparing a “limited scope operation” and would not say whether this was the beginning of a broader invasion of the city. But last October, Israel did not formally announce the launch of a ground invasion that continues to this day.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN LEBANON INJURES 3 PEOPLE, BEIRUT SAYS
BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike on northeastern Lebanon wounded three people and destroyed a building, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says.
The strike on the village of Safri early Monday targeted a factory in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the agency said without giving further details.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military structure in Safri.
Monday’s strike came after a tense day along the Lebanon-Israel border during which an Israeli airstrike on a village near the border killed four Lebanese civilians.
The militant Hezbollah group said it fired dozens of rockets in retaliation toward northern Israel.
The Lebanon-Israel border has seen almost daily exchange of fire since a day after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 350 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups but also including more than 50 civilians. In Israel, strikes from Lebanon have killed at least 10 civilians and 12 soldiers.
Currently:
— Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault
— Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in ‘very near future’
— Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment
— Netanyahu uses Holocaust ceremony to brush off international pressure against Gaza offensive
— Anti-war protesters leave USC after police arrive, while Northeastern ceremony proceeds calmly
— Israeli strike kills 4 civilians in southern Lebanon, state media says
Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
