Israel faces fresh US calls against attack on Rafah
The Hindu
Israel faced renewed calls from key ally the United States on Friday against launching a large-scale attack on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped.
Israel faced renewed calls from key ally the United States on Friday against launching a large-scale attack on Gaza's southern city of Rafah, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted he would push ahead with a "powerful" operation in the overcrowded city to achieve "complete victory" over the Hamas militant group.
The White House said US President Joe Biden had spoken by phone with Netanyahu, urging him not to carry out an attack on Rafah without a plan to keep civilians safe.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been driven into Rafah, seeking shelter in a sprawling makeshift encampment near the Egyptian border.
The city now hosts more than half of Gaza's population, with displaced people "crammed" into less than 20 percent of the territory, according to UN humanitarian agency OCHA.
"We were displaced from Gaza City to the south," said Ahlam Abu Assi. "(Then) they told us to go to Rafah, so we went to Rafah.
"We can't keep going and coming," she added. "There is no safe place for us."