US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday (12) that Israel has no “credible plan” to protect the 1.4 million Palestinian civilians in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. He further warned that the Israeli attack could strengthen Hamas fighters in the area.
Blinken told a North American TV station, “Israel is potentially on a path that will lead the country to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas fighters, or leave a void that will be filled with chaos, anarchy and perhaps Hamas. ” nbc,
Blinken told nbc Hamas fighters are returning to northern Gaza, Israel has announced the evacuation of the area, and the attack on Rafah could end up causing “terrible injuries to civilians”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered the evacuation of neighborhoods in East Rafah this Saturday (11) through leaflets, posts on social networks and SMS messages.
According to the newspaper, the order is to move the population into the “expanded humanitarian zone”, which is already struggling with water and food shortages. Guardian,
According to TV channel cnn, the United States last week imposed a moratorium on sending bombs to Israel. The reason for this would be the risk of possible use of weapons in Rafah, as stated by a US official.
President Joe Biden had already said he could suspend arms shipments if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to attack Rafah, which has become a bastion for Palestinians fleeing Israeli bombardment.
UN says 300,000 Palestinians have already left Rafah
The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that about 300,000 Palestinians had fled Rafah by the early hours of this Sunday (12). The city has been used as a refuge by the population since the beginning of the Israeli military offensive against Palestine.
The United Nations condemned the forced displacement of Palestinians in Rafah and announced that it opposed the practice.
Last week, Israeli forces captured the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, displacing hundreds of people.
Editing: Nicolau Soares
