In a statement on the same day, Saudi Arabia said an urgent UN Security Council meeting was needed to “prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe” in Rafah.
European Union Foreign Affairs Coordinator Josep Borrell, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf and the German Foreign Ministry warned that the Israeli threat to operate in Rafah would be disastrous for those sheltering in the border city and who have nowhere to go.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced on Friday that the Israeli army is making plans to remove civilians from Rafah and destroy Hamas brigades in the area. Biden administration officials have said they oppose any Israeli operation in Rafah under the current circumstances, and President Biden said Thursday that Israel's military campaign in Gaza has “crossed the line” — his harshest rebuke yet.
Aid groups say the ground operation in Rafah will significantly worsen the desperate humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave. Amnesty International has warned that if an Israeli deportation order is issued, it “may amount to the crime of forcible transfer.”
“Not only will more civilians die, but access to essential services such as food distribution, health clinics and mental health support will cease, exacerbating inhumane conditions for more than a million people,” said Shisa Latifi, Deputy Director for Emergency Preparedness. And the response to the Hope Project, in a statement.
Here's what else you should know
Israel targeted a prominent leader of the Hamas movement deep in Lebanese territory with an air strike on Saturday, according to an Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. The target, Basil Saleh, a Hamas recruitment official, survived the attack but at least two others were killed, the official said.
The Israeli army said it did so The tunnel was revealed It is used by Hamas and passes under the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City. Head of the aid group, Philippe Lazzarini He said A statement said that Israel had not officially notified the agency about the discovery and that UNRWA was not aware of the existence of any tunnel infrastructure under the complex, which was evacuated on October 12. The organization is facing a crisis since Israel accused that about a dozen of the tunnels and its employees played a role in the October 7 attacks launched by Hamas.
One in 100 people were killed in Gaza during the first 100 days of the war, a higher rate than in any other armed conflict in the 21st century. According to a United Nations committee. “The ongoing war stands out as unprecedented in terms of the scale of death, destruction and suffering, with repercussions that will reverberate for generations to come,” the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia said.
The body of Hind Rajab, the 6-year-old girl, who has been missing for 12 days since she lost contact with rescue workers. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Saturday that her body was found after her family's car was shot in Gaza. The ambulance that was sent to reach it was also bombed and the two paramedics who were inside it were killed. Hind, the sole survivor of the attack in Gaza City, called emergency dispatchers by phone on January 29 and pleaded for hours to be saved.
At least 28,064 people were killed and 67,611 injured in Gaza. Since the beginning of the war, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7.
