In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of the serious consequences of a military operation around the city of Rafah, as promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
We reiterate our “total rejection of the statements by Israeli officials about the launch of a military operation in Rafah, warning of its dire consequences in light of the humanitarian catastrophe” in that territory, the note stressed.
Faced with such a situation, the Foreign Ministry called on the international and regional community to join forces to prevent the attack on the Palestinian city, located on the border with this North African nation, of 106 million inhabitants.
That eventual military incursion, along with Israel’s continued policy of obstructing access to humanitarian aid, is part of a strategy to force the displacement of the Palestinian people, he denounced.
Cairo considered that these acts constituted a clear violation of the provisions of international law and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the US agency AP, which quotes two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat, this country threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Netanyahu finally grants the green light for the military operation.
Cairo on several occasions warned that the exodus of Gazans outside its borders is a red line, as attempted by the neighboring nation, which seeks to expel them to the Sinai Peninsula.
Despite international pressure, the right-wing politician, in a telephone conversation this Sunday with the North American president, Joe Biden, ratified his intention to launch the campaign against Rafah with the argument of defeating the last stronghold in Gaza of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
With a population of about 300,000, that city is now overcrowded after the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled their homes in the center and north of the enclave to escape Israeli bombs.
Precisely, Hamas warned that an attack against the city will mean the end of contacts to achieve a prisoner exchange.
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