Israel’s Rafah attack plan sparks fears
UN calls for probe into mass grave reports amid obstacles to delivery of aid in Gaza
GAZA STRIP — The new round of Israel-Palestine conflict raged on its 201st day on Wednesday as aid groups warned that Israeli plans to invade the southern city of Rafah, where most Gazans have taken refuge, would create an “apocalyptic situation”.
Fears have been rising that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon follow through on repeated threats to send troops into Rafah, where 1.4 million people have sought shelter, many in makeshift encampments.
More than a million Gazan residents have lost their homes and 75 percent of the population in the Palestinian coastal enclave have been displaced since the conflict broke out in October, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, said on Tuesday.
“Destruction is everywhere in Gaza. Damage to critical infrastructure is immense,” UNRWA wrote in a post on social media platform X.
In Gaza, the UN said “multiple obstacles” continue to impede deliveries of urgently needed aid for Gazans desperate for food, water, shelter and medicine.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.
As of Tuesday, a total of 34,183 Palestinians have been killed and 77,143 others injured due to Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
“Everybody seems to be on a countdown to war across the largest displacement camp on Earth, which is Rafah,” Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland said.
Also on Tuesday, the UN rights office said it was “horrified” at reports of mass graves found at Gaza’s two biggest hospitals after Israeli sieges and raids.
Israel has repeatedly targeted Gazan medical facilities during the conflict, accusing Hamas of using them as command centers. Hamas denies the accusation.
Over the past three days, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said nearly 340 bodies were uncovered of people killed and buried by Israeli forces at the Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Israel’s army responded by saying that claims it had buried Palestinian bodies were “baseless and unfounded”, without directly addressing allegations that Israeli troops were behind the killings.
UN rights chief Volker Turk called for an “independent” probe into the deaths at Nasser and Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospitals, noting the “special protection” awarded to medical facilities under international law.
“Hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law,” Turk said. “And the intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are hors de combat is a war crime.”
The UN rights office said it did not have access to independent information as to what happened at the two hospitals.
But spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said efforts were underway to corroborate reports and details given by Gazan authorities.
The White House said it would discuss the subject with Israel.
“Obviously, scenes of mass graves in general are deeply concerning but I don’t have anything that can confirm the veracity of those,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
US campus protests
Outcry has been growing around the world against Israel’s offensive, which has turned vast areas of Gaza to rubble and sparked fears of famine.
Hundreds of students have been arrested in recent days at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the campuses of prominent universities in the United States, Israel’s top ally and military supplier. The US Senate just approved fresh military aid to Israel.
The student protests have created a new and unpredictable challenge for President Joe Biden as he resists calls to cut off US support for Israel while trying to hold together the coalition of voters he’ll need for reelection, The Associated Press commented.
The protests at Columbia University in New York and other campuses have captured global media attention and questions have resurfaced about Biden’s lagging support from young voters. His handling of the Middle East conflict is also being closely watched by both Jewish and Arab American voters in key swing states.