Saudi warns of 'catastrophe' if Israel moves on Rafah
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.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered
the army to prepare to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground
operation against Hamas in the city.
More than one million displaced Palestinians have taken
refuge in the city in Gaza's far south, many sheltering in tents pushed up
against the border with Egypt and the sea.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has never
recognised Israel but had been considering doing so before the Israel-Hamas war
broke out in October.
The conflict was triggered by Hamas militants' 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 normalisation 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 "recognised" and Israeli forces
leave Gaza.
Gaza's Hamas rulers warned on Saturday that Israeli
operations in Rafah could cause "tens of thousands" of casualties in
the city.
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".
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