'There is no safe place in Gaza': UN high commissioner
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Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, says that the latest orders "affect close to a million people in Rafah."
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A Palestinian boy looks at bodies lying At al-Najjar Hospital in the Gaza Strip, undated. (AFP)
A full-fledged Israeli attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah "cannot take place," the UN human rights head declared on Sunday, arguing that it could not be reconciled with international law.
Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, expressed that the latest orders "affect close to a million people in Rafah. So where should they go now? There is no safe place in Gaza!"
"These exhausted, famished people, many of whom have been displaced many times already, have no good options," he stated, emphasizing that the offensive could be "catastrophic" with further atrocities anticipated.
"I can see no way that the latest evacuation orders, much less a full assault, in an area with an extremely dense presence of civilians, can be reconciled with the binding requirements of international humanitarian law and with the two sets of binding provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice."
Volker expressed grave concern about the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza, claiming that the most recent evacuation orders had resulted in "massive displacement of an already profoundly traumatized population."
He said that the communities designated to accept Palestinians displaced from Rafah had already been "reduced to rubble", adding that a full-scale onslaught on Rafah "cannot take place" and urging all governments with influence to do whatever they could to avoid it.
On Saturday, the Israeli occupation reinforced a forced evacuation order for eastern Rafah, reporting that 300,000 Palestinians have been forced out of the region.
The Israeli occupation persists in its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 219th consecutive day, committing massacres against civilians. This coincides with an escalation of its operations in Rafah, located in the southern part of the Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that in 24 hours only, 18 were killed and six others were wounded and were transferred to the Kuwait Specialty Hospital in the Rafah Governorate.
EU's Borrell urges 'Israel' to safeguard civilians in Rafah
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that "Israel" must guarantee the protection of civilians in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, in line with international legal standards.
"Forcing civilians to evacuate Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable. Israel is bound by international law to provide safety to civilians. We continue to urge Israel not to go ahead with a ground operation in Rafah," Borrell said in a post on X.
Forcing civilians to evacuate #Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable.#Israel is bound by international law to provide safety to civilians.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) May 11, 2024
We continue to urge Israel not to go ahead w/ a ground operation in Rafah.
This would further exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis.
He additionally urged "Israel" to abstain from proceeding with a full-blown military operation in Rafah, cautioning that such action would worsen an already severe humanitarian situation.
In the same context, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) characterized the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Rafah as "inhumane" in a statement posted on X.
"There is nowhere safe to go," it added.
Over the last week, @UNRWA estimates around 300,000 people have now fled #Rafah, as the forced and inhumane displacement of Palestinians continues.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 12, 2024
There is nowhere safe to go.
There is nowhere safe to go.
There is nowhere safe to go. pic.twitter.com/sPnmblvg47
'Barbaric' bombing of Gaza won't help 'Israel' reach objectives: PIJ
The Israeli occupation's brutal attack on Gaza will not help it achieve its war objectives, a senior official in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Sunday.
"The occupation […] is stuck in the mud of Gaza," PIJ's deputy chief Mohammad al-Hindi told the Palestine Today news site, emphasizing that the "barbaric Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip" will "not secure any of the occupation’s goals."
Al-Hindi held the United States responsible for the ongoing genocidal war and the recently launched ground offensive against Rafah.
He said, "Washington’s statements are a green light for the occupation army to continue its aggression," especially the invasion of Rafah.
On the negotiations, the top official said that the Resistance has shown flexibility in negotiations, pointing out that it had agreed to a phased withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Strip. However, he added, it was "Israel" that rejected the proposal on the basis that exiting Gaza would "leave Hamas intact."
