With a greenlight from Biden to continue the its invasion into #Rafah, despite evidence of war crimes https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112421478297802310, #IDF is now calling residents of eastern #Rafah to evacuate to the “humanitarian zone” in the coastal al-Mawasi region in southern #Gaza. Similarly IDF called residents of Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, two neighborhoods in northern Gaza, to evacuate to western Gaza City.
[cont’d] reminder: the #ICJ will convene at 3 PM for an urgent discussion scheduled to last two hours at the request of South Africa to issue new orders relating to the war in Gaza and its cessation, as well as the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, following the IDF activities in #Rafah.
South Africa will present its arguments, and tomorrow the Israeli delegation will do so between 10 AM and 12:00 PM.
Israeli media is estimating that there is a possibility that the Court will respond to South Africa's request and issue a #ceasefire order. However, the prevailing view is that Israel will not obey such an order.
[…] The hearings on May 16 and 17 will only focus on issuing emergency measures, to keep the dispute from escalating. It will likely take years before the court can rule on the merits of the case.
[cont’d] EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's office: Israel’s continued military operation in Rafah will strain its relationship with the EU
[…] “The European Union is calling on Israel to refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and reopen the crossing point of Rafah. Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel,” the bloc warned.
[cont’d] #ICJ to hold hearings over Israel's Rafah attacks
[…] South Africa will address the court on Thursday after it asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, last week to order Israel to cease its Rafah offensive and allow unimpeded access to Gaza for U.N. officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators.
[cont’d] Israeli operations in #Rafah have closed a main crossing point for aid; 360,000 fled
[…] #UNRWA, the main U.N. aid agency in Gaza, estimated that about 360,000 people had fled the southern city since the Israeli military gave its first evacuation order a week ago […] They are moving to empty tracts of land, including Al-Mawasi, a small strip along the coast, designated as an expanded humanitarian area by Israel.
[…] But Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council aid agency said it was not set up to receive uprooted families. There was "no space to install latrines or water points. There are huge piles of solid waste. My colleague spoke about seeing donkey carcasses on top of trash, so there are all sorts of health concerns," Low said.
[cont’d] Egypt says to join South Africa ICJ case against Israel
The ministry said in a statement that this announcement comes in light of the “worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
@oatmeal@palestine@israel I'm a little suspicious of this. Egypt is heavily in debt and desperately need US $ to survive. This may be just words to assuage the Egyptian public, whose opinion is not onside with Israel.
[cont’d] U.S. offers Israel intelligence, supplies in effort to avoid Rafah invasion
[…] Administration officials, including experts from the U.S. Agency for International Development, have told Israel it will take several months to safely relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are now living in decrepit and unsanitary conditions in Rafah. Israeli officials disagree with that assessment.
[…] Biden said Israel has not crossed his “red line” because its forces have not begun invading or bombing densely populated areas of Rafah.
[cont’d] EU Chief Charles Michel Condemns Israel's Rafah Evacuation Orders
———
Evacuation orders for civilians trapped in Rafah to unsafe zones are unacceptable.
We call on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law and urge not to undertake a ground operation in #Rafah.
Crossing points must be fully functioning and allow essential humanitarian assistance to get through amidst raging famine. #Gaza
All efforts must continue to secure an agreement for a lasting ceasefire. The EU is committed to a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution.
The establishment of a viable State of Palestine is key in this respect, side by side in peace and security with Israel as reflected in @UN resolution.
[cont’d] Egypt Increased Patrols Along Gaza Strip Border
The Saudi TV channel #AlHadath reported that #Egypt's border guards have increased patrols along the border with the Gaza Strip. According to the report, "Egypt, Qatar and other Arab countries refused an Israeli proposal to participate in managing the Strip after the war." It was also stated that "The mediators informed Washington of their opposition to Israel continuing to manage the Strip."
[cont’d] #Israel / Former Operations Chief Accuses: "The Rafah Operation is Political"
The former head of the Operations Directorate and former commander of the Gaza Division, Maj. Gen. (res.) Gadi Shamni, accused at a "Shabbat Culture" event in Beersheba that "the entry into Rafah is political."
He said: "I am almost certain that the operation at the Rafah crossing is political, because Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich threatened that if we do not operate there - the government will fall."
He added that "the question is: at what stage should the Chief of Staff pound on the table and perhaps even go public, because sending soldiers into battle for political purposes is crossing a red line."
Problem is not sending soldiers in. And they’re not going into battle. Hamas as already left as far as its known. They’re going fully armed and protected to kill civilians and pretend they’re defending Israel.