The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on the social network X that Israel is obliged to ensure the safety of civilians in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip in accordance 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 called on Israel not to carry out a ground operation in Rafah. “This will further aggravate the already severe humanitarian crisis,” the head of EU diplomacy emphasized.
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The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, also previously called on Israel not to carry out a military operation in Rafah and called it unacceptable to force civilians to travel to unsafe territories.
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On Tuesday night, Israeli ground forces entered Palestinian Rafah, and Israeli tanks established operational control over the territory of the Rafah checkpoint from the Gaza Strip. Earlier, the press service of the Israeli army reported that leaflets were dropped calling on residents of the eastern part of Rafah to evacuate before the planned operation.
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Rafah is home to about 1.4 million Palestinians, many of whom fled Israeli bombing from other parts of the Gaza Strip. According to the UN, Israel is effectively blocking the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the residents of the enclave.
