Israel urged to protect civilians
World leaders have called on Israel to do more to protect civilians (people who are not in the armed forces) in Gaza, a strip of land that borders Israel and is home to many Palestinian people.
On 12 February, Israel’s military carried out air attacks on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and rescued two men who had been held as hostages (prisoners) in Rafah by Hamas. Hamas is a political and military organisation based in Gaza and is classed as a terrorist organisation by several countries, including the UK and the US.
Israel says that around 100 more hostages are still being held by Hamas. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is also planning to send in soldiers to invade the city to destroy Hamas.
Why is Israel attacking Rafah?
Netanyahu told ABC News that Israel’s army is attacking Rafah because members of Hamas are there. There is a long-running conflict between Israel and Hamas about who owns certain areas of land, but on 7 October last year, the conflict suddenly got much worse when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages. Israel responded by attacking Gaza. Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s military has killed more than 28,000 people in the past four months.
What is life like in Rafah?
The city, near the border with Egypt, is currently home to around 1.5 million people – six times the number of people who lived there before 7 October. Many people moved there because Israel had told civilians to go south towards Rafah to avoid fighting that was happening further north. Conditions are very bad in Rafah, with not enough essential supplies like food, fuel, medicines and clean water. People are having to live in tents in the streets or in overcrowded shelters. Netanyahu says he has ordered the Israeli military to make a plan to move civilians away from Rafah but critics have said there is nowhere safe for them to go. Many of their homes in the north of Gaza have been destroyed. Mahmoud Abbas, a Palestinian leader, said the plan to move civilians away from Rafah was an attempt by Israel to push Palestinians out of Gaza and take their land. Egypt has said it will not allow lots of people into its country from Gaza.
What have other countries said?
David Cameron, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, has called for a pause in fighting so that aid can reach Gaza, hostages can be released and a permanent ceasefire (when fighting stops) can be discussed. He said, “We are very concerned about the situation and want Israel to stop and think very seriously.” US president Joe Biden said that the people of Rafah are “exposed and vulnerable”.
What is being done to help?
As The Week Junior went to press, representatives from Hamas and Israel as well as Egypt, the US and Qatar, were meeting in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, to discuss a deal for a pause in fighting. The hope is that this could lead to an end to the war.