Gaza, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army's attack on Rafah has sparked condemnation and concern from many quarters.
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Weijian.
According to the Palestinian News Agency, in the early morning of the 12th, the Israeli army launched an all-round land, sea and air attack on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding areas, killing more than 100 people. According to local sources, the Israeli strike lasted about 30 to 40 minutes and was aimed at rescuing two detainees at the hands of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Hamas issued a statement on the 12th condemning Israel** and the army for ignoring the ruling of the United Nations International Court of Justice and committing "serious crimes" against Palestinian civilians. Hamas said that Biden and the United States are "fully responsible" for this, and they have given the Israeli side the "green light" to openly provide political support and financial and aid to the Israeli side.
Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Palestinian government, issued a statement on the 12th, saying that the United States should not continue to be bound by Israel's policies. The Middle East is at a crossroads, and the continuation of the fighting in Gaza will lead to the spread of the crisis to other countries in the region. He called on the international community, especially the United States, to take immediate action to force Israel to stop this "madness".
Turkey issued a statement on the 12th, expressing concern over the intensive attack on Rafah by Israeli troops and calling on the international community and the United Nations Security Council to take measures in this regard. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on the 12th that any Israeli attack on Rafah would lead to the cessation of aid and aid and the expansion of the humanitarian catastrophe.
Rafah is the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip and shares a border with Egypt. More than 1 million residents of the northern Gaza Strip have taken refuge in Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Israeli defense forces and security services to formulate a plan for ground operations in Rafah on the 9th, after which the Israeli army launched air strikes on several areas of Rafah. In the past few days, Israel's actions against Rafah have aroused condemnation and concern from neighboring countries.
Qatar issued a statement on the 10th, condemning in the strongest terms Israel's threat to attack Rafah. The statement said that Rafah is the last refuge for the massively displaced people of Gaza, and that if Israel launches an attack, it will create a catastrophe of Taoism. The statement called on the UN Security Council to take urgent action to stop Israel's actions and provide adequate protection for civilians.
Saudi Arabia issued a statement on the 10th condemning that the Israeli army's attack on Rafah was an "extremely dangerous" act, and the statement reiterated that both sides of the conflict should immediately cease fire, and called on the Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on this issue to prevent a possible humanitarian catastrophe.
Jordan warned on the 10th that the Israeli army's military operation in Rafah would have serious consequences. Jordan strongly opposes the forced relocation of Palestinians and stresses the need for an immediate ceasefire between Palestine and Israel to protect civilians from returning to their homes.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs issued a statement on the 11th, strongly condemning the Israeli army's "attack on Rafah and forcing the Palestinian ** to leave the lost place". The statement called on the Council to broker a ceasefire agreement and provide assistance to the Palestinians as soon as possible.
Egypt issued a statement on the 11th, saying that Rafah is the last security zone in the Gaza Strip, strongly opposing the Israeli army's plan to launch a military operation against Rafah, and calling on influential powers to put pressure on Israel and avoid taking any measures that may further complicate the situation.
According to data released by the Palestinian health department in the Gaza Strip on the 12th, the Israeli army's attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours have killed a total of 164 people and injured 200. Since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7 last year, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused more than 2830,000 people died, nearly 680,000 people were injured. (Participating reporters: Wang Qiang, Xie Hao, Hu Guan, Dong Xiuzhu, He Yiping) (end).