‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 125: Israel rejects ceasefire proposal, plans to expand ground invasion into Rafah
Israel rejected a Hamas proposal for a ceasefire, which included the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza, and is preparing instead to expand its ground invasion to Rafah, where 1.9 million Palestinians are seeking refuge.
BY LEILA WARAH FEBRUARY 8, 2024
The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has said that he is “extremely concerned” by Israeli plans for an expansion of their operations to Rafah, where displaced Palestinian civilians are living in dire conditions with nowhere to flee.
“More than half of Gaza’s population is now crammed in Rafah, a town of originally 250,000 people right on Egypt’s doorstep. Their living conditions are abysmal – they lack the basic necessities to survive, stalked by hunger, disease and death,” Griffiths said in a statement today.
“Further fighting in Rafah risks claiming the lives of even more people. It also risks further hampering a humanitarian operation already limited by insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and access restrictions,” he added. “To put it simply: This war must stop.”
Similarly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “especially alarmed” over reports that Israel is pledging an assault on Rafah.
“Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences,” Guterres told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera.
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