Rafah invasion would not be a 'picnic' for Israeli forces: Hamas

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
6 May 2024 17:33
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The Palestinian presidency urges the US administration to intervene immediately to prevent an Israeli massacre in Rafah.

Displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip carry their belongings, on May 6, 2024. (AFP)

An Israeli military invasion of the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip will jeopardize ceasefire negotiations and prisoner swap talks, Hamas official Izzat al-Rashiq warned on Monday.

The Israeli occupation forces officially began on Monday the forceful displacement of the already-displaced Palestinian people currently seeking shelter in Rafah, which had been designated by the Israelis as an alleged "safe zone" early in the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed that an invasion of the densely-populated Rafah city would take place regardless of whether an exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance was reached or not.

In a separate statement, the Palestinian Resistance group vowed that an invasion of Rafah would not be a "picnic" for the "fascist occupation army." It also indicated that an invasion would disregard the fate of Israeli captives held in Gaza and the "ongoing humanitarian catastrophe" in the besieged territory.

Earlier on Monday, a Palestinian Resistance source informed Al Mayadeen that Hamas is contemplating halting the current negotiations in Cairo because of "Israel's" threat to invade Rafah.

The source stressed that the threat would not influence Hamas's approach to the negotiations.

According to Israeli spokesperson Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military has allegedly expanded the alleged "humanitarian zone" in the al-Mawasi area and is forcing Palestinians out of eastern Rafah, which was allegedly the initial "safe zone".

The action being taken by the Israeli occupation would forcefully displace at least 100,000 of the 1.4 million Palestinians currently displaced in Rafah.

In the same context, the Palestinian presidency confirmed it is carrying out intensive contacts with regional and international sides, especially the United States, to prevent a massacre in Rafah.

In a statement, the presidency called on the US administration "to intervene immediately to prevent this massacre, of which we warn of its dangerous repercussions."

It warned that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would subject one and a half million Palestinians to a genocidal massacre and displacement attempts.

Elsewhere, the statement reaffirmed that peace and security in the entire region will not be achieved without a just solution to the Palestinian cause and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.

Egypt warns of dangers of military operation in Gaza's Rafah city

On its part, Egypt today warned of the dangers of an Israeli military operation in Rafah, given the risks this escalation involves, including the extremely hazardous humanitarian risks that would threaten the lives of over one million Palestinians in the city.

In a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Egypt called on "Israel" to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation at this sensitive point in order to stop the bloodshed of Palestinian civilians who are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry confirmed its continued round-the-clock talks with all parties to prevent the situation from escalating or spiraling out of control.

It is noteworthy that US President Joe Biden's administration has repeatedly warned "Israel" against invading Rafah without presenting a plan to protect civilians.

"Absent such a plan, we can't support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what's acceptable," Secretary of States Antony Blinken said on Friday.