The world’s attention has turned to Rafah, a city in the war-torn Gaza Strip, as the humanitarian crisis intensifies amidst ongoing Israeli airstrikes. The international community has expressed outrage over Israel’s actions, which have been condemned as a “genocide” by the Iranian Embassy in India. Despite facing global pressure and an order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt military operations, Israel has continued to launch airstrikes in the region. In a historic yet symbolic move, three European countries – Spain, Ireland, and Norway – have officially recognized a Palestinian state.
About half of Gaza’s population, over a million people, were living in Rafah before the latest escalation. However, most have fled once again since Israel launched its military operation earlier this month. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on Tuesday that the flight from Rafah occurred amidst heavy bombardment, lack of food and water, piles of waste, and unsuitable living conditions.
The Israeli military has vowed to press on with its offensive in Rafah, despite widespread condemnation. The operation, which Israel claims is limited, focuses on killing Hamas fighters and dismantling the group’s infrastructure. Israel has told civilians to go to an “expanded humanitarian zone” some 20 km away, but many Palestinians have complained that they are vulnerable to attacks wherever they go.
The war in Gaza started on October 7, after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from its Gaza base. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants took 252 hostages, 121 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 36,050 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The international community has condemned Israel’s actions, with the US National Security Council urging Israel to “take every precaution possible to protect civilians.” Egypt called the targeting of civilians “a systematic policy aimed at widening the scope of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip to make it uninhabitable.” Jordan accused Israel of “ongoing war crimes,” while Saudi Arabia condemned “the continued massacres.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to hold Israel accountable for its actions. Qatar condemned Israel’s actions as a “dangerous violation of international law” and voiced concern that the bombing will complicate ongoing mediation efforts towards a truce.
The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah and withdraw from the enclave. The court warned that Israel’s actions “may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
Despite the international pressure and outrage, Israel has continued its airstrikes. The conflict has brought the issue of Palestinian statehood back to the fore of global politics. Many countries believe that a two-state solution is necessary to bring peace to the region, while Israel maintains that Hamas’s attack underscores how an independent Palestinian state on its border would undermine its security.
