Palestinian Territories – Hamas on Saturday warned that there could be “tens of thousands” of dead and injured if the Israeli military attacked Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week said he had ordered troops to prepare to go in to the city, crowded with displaced Palestinians, as it hunts down those responsible for the deadly October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
The announcement has prompted concern from foreign governments including the United States and aid agencies grappling with a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a result of the war.
Hamas said in a statement that any military action would have catastrophic repercussion that “may lead to tens of thousands of martyrs and injured if Rafah… is invaded”.
The Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip said it would hold “the American administration, international community and the Israeli occupation” responsible if that happened.
Rafah, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, has become a last refuge for civilians fleeing a relentless Israeli bombing campaign elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
The UN says about half of Gaza’s 2.4 million people are now sheltering in the city, with many sleeping outside in tents and makeshift shelters, and mounting concern about lack of food, water and sanitation.
On Friday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said a major Israeli offensive in Rafah “can only lead to an additional layer of endless tragedy”.
Netanyahu has ordered military officials to draw up plans for “evacuating” Rafah alongside “destroying” Hamas fighters in the city.
Witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah early Saturday, raising fears among Palestinians of a looming ground invasion.
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Israel’s planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah would cause a “humanitarian catastrophe” and called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.
The kingdom “warned of the extremely dangerous repercussions of storming and targeting” Rafah and affirmed its “categorical rejection and strong condemnation of their forced deportation”, in a foreign ministry statement carried by state media.
“This continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law confirms the necessity of convening the Security Council urgently to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe,” the statement added.
The conflict was triggered by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Vowing to eliminate Hamas, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza that the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry says has killed at least 27,947 people, mostly women and children.
Riyadh has repeatedly called for a ceasefire while criticising Israeli “aggression” in Gaza.
While US President Joe Biden’s administration has voiced optimism that Saudi-Israeli normalization can be revived, Saudi Arabia said this week it had told Washington it would not establish ties with Israel until an independent Palestinian state is “recognized” and Israeli forces leave Gaza.
The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the move “threatens security and peace in the region in the world” and is “a blatant violation of all red lines”.