Hundreds of thousands are fleeing
Scholz warns Israel about Rafah offensive
May 11, 2024, 8:18 p.m
Concern is growing about an expansion of Israeli military operations in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are being asked to leave their homes. Chancellor Scholz considers Israel’s intention to launch an offensive on Rafah to be “irresponsible.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns the Israeli government against a military offensive on Rafah. Such an offensive would be “irresponsible,” he said at an event organized by the Germany Editorial Network. He doesn’t believe this is possible “without incredible human losses.” In response to a question about arms deliveries, Scholz claimed that the federal government only supplies weapons if it is clear in individual cases that they cannot be used in situations that are controversial under international law. Germany does not supply Israel with weapons like the USA anyway.
The Israeli army, meanwhile, called on people in Rafah to leave other areas of the city. This increases concerns about an expansion of the military operation in the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip. Families were packing their things all over the city, an employee of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA wrote on X. “The streets are significantly emptier.” At the beginning of the week, Israel launched a deployment of ground troops in the eastern outskirts of Rafah to expand the fight against the terrorist organization Hamas. According to UNRWA, 150,000 Palestinians have since fled Rafah. According to the Israeli military there are already 300,000 people.
USA threatens to restrict arms deliveries
Israel’s military actions in the part of the sealed-off coastal strip bordering Egypt are highly controversial internationally. Until recently, more than a million people who had fled from other parts of the Gaza Strip were crowded there. An expansion of the Israeli offensive could lead to hundreds of thousands of civilians being caught between the fronts, aid organizations fear. The already precarious supply of people could also collapse completely.
The US, Israel’s most important ally, is strongly warning the country against a large-scale offensive. US President Joe Biden recently even threatened to restrict arms deliveries. The fighting had not yet reached the densely built-up center of Rafah, which was dotted with makeshift refugee camps. However, this Saturday, the Israeli army called on the population to leave other areas in the east and, for the first time, in the center of the city.
In a message distributed by the military in Arabic via Platform X, in the form of text messages and in leaflets, the armed forces listed the affected zones, including two refugee camps. It was said that the approximately 300,000 people affected should immediately go to the town of Al-Mawasi on the Mediterranean coast. Aid organizations doubt that large numbers of people can be adequately cared for there.