U.S President Joe Biden has appealed to Israel to ensure civilians packed into Rafah at the Gaza Strip are protected.
Biden made the plea after his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Washington on Monday, stating that any major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety of those living there.
According to the President, many people there have been displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north, expressing opposition to any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Monday said Israel should stop and think seriously before taking further action in Rafah while EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged allies of Israel to stop sending weapons, as too many people were being killed in Gaza.
Last week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had ordered troops to prepare to expand its ground operation to Rafah, vowing to defeat Hamas gunmen hiding in the city.
More than half of the Gaza Strip’s population of 2.3 million is now crammed into the city on the border with Egypt, which was home to only 250,000 people before the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October.
