Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said Israel should “pause and think” before taking any further action in Rafah, as the UK imposed sanctions on four settlers in the West Bank.
The former Prime Minister said the UK was “deeply concerned” about the situation on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Local health officials said that 37 people were killed in the raids on the city.
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“We want Israel to stop and think”
Meanwhile, the UK imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers in the West Bank accused of human rights violations.
Moshe Sharvit, Yinon Levy, Zvi Bar-Yosef and Elie Federman are now subject to an asset freeze in the UK, along with travel and visa bans.
The State Department said Israel's “inaction” had led to “an environment of near-total impunity for settler extremists,” with violence in the West Bank reaching record levels in 2023.
Lord Cameron said: “Today’s sanctions impose restrictions on those involved in some of the most horrific human rights abuses. We must be clear about what is happening here.
“Extremist Israeli settlers threaten Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and force them to abandon lands that are their rightful property.
“This behavior is illegal and unacceptable. Israel must also take stronger action and put an end to settler violence. Too often, we see commitments and pledges made, but not implemented.
He added, “By targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, extremist settlers undermine security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Calls for a sustainable ceasefire
Regarding the situation in Rafah, the Foreign Minister said that “it is impossible to see how you can fight a war between these people,” referring to civilians in Gaza.
He added: “There is nowhere to go,” with the closure of the border crossing with Egypt.
“We want Israel To stop and think very seriously before taking any further action.
“Above all, what we want is an immediate cessation of fighting – we want this cessation to lead to a ceasefire, a sustainable ceasefire without a return to more fighting.”
The Israeli army said it launched a “series of strikes” in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
She added that the strikes have now ended, without providing details about the targets or assessing the damage or potential victims.
The hostages were released
Israel later shared this Two hostages were rescued By special forces from Rafah.
The army identified them as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Haar, 70, both of whom were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in Hamas attacks on October 7.
Fernando Simon Marman and Luis Herr at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel. Photo: Reuters
Israel says it has expanded its ground operation in southern Gaza to eliminate Hamas fighters.
Sunday, US President Joe Biden warned Israel Against launching a ground invasion into Rafah without a “credible” plan to protect civilians.
Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared defiant, telling the media: “We will do it. We will get the remaining Hamas terrorist brigades in Rafah.”
The crisis escalates
Netanyahu said that the Israeli army believes that four Hamas cells are operating inside Rafah.
But he gave assurances that the Israeli army would only carry out the operation “while providing safe passage for the civilian population.”
Palestinian children injured in an Israeli raid rest while receiving treatment at a hospital in Rafah. Photo: Reuters
Egypt, which runs the Rafah border crossing, said the attack would violate international law and risk the refugee crisis spreading into their country.
Qatar also warned of a disaster, while Saudi Arabia warned of “very serious repercussions.”
Palestinians inspect the ruins of Al-Huda Mosque in Rafah. Photo: AP
Following the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas last year, Israel asked Gazans to move south to areas such as Rafah. The forces entered the area.
Some 1.4 million Gazans have now moved there, most of them in temporary camps or “tent cities.”
An Israeli government spokesman suggested that civilians could find shelter in tent camps that have not yet been built, and said the international community was “very welcome” to send shelter equipment.
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Rafah is subjected to aerial bombardment
Elon Levy told Sky News: “We want civilians out of harm's way. We don't want to come with all guns blazing because we realize how disastrous that could be.”
In response to a question about where more than a million civilians in Rafah should go, Levy said: “This is part of the plan that the Israeli army will have to present.” [to] Prime Minister because we take our obligations under international law to maintain the protection of civilians very seriously.
“There are open spaces in Gaza, and there are places where camps can be set up so that civilians can stay out of harm’s way and not allow Hamas to use them as human shields.”
