—— World condemns Israeli barbarism in Rafah
—— South Africa asks ICJ to weigh Israel’s Rafah offensive
—— France sanctions 28 ‘extremist’ Israeli settlers
—— Palestinians in rush to leave Rafah refuge, fearing Israeli assault
DM Monitoring
Riyadh: Israel faces growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, as it prepared for an incursion in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.
After rejecting Hamas’ terms for a truce last week, Israel conducted a predawn raid in Rafah on Mon-day that freed two hostages and killed around 100 people.
Pakistan condemned Israel’s “military aggression against Rafah city in Gaza and the resulting destruc-tion and massacre of the Palestinian people”. Saudi Arabia cautioned against the “very serious repercussions” of Israel “storming and targeting” Ra-fah. Malaysia condemned in the “strongest terms the large-scale offensive in Rafah”, terming it an “irre-sponsible, illegal and inhumane assault”. South Africa says it has asked the World Court to consider whether Israel’s plan to extend its offensive in Gaza into the city of Rafah requires additional emergency measures to protect Palestinians’ rights, Reuters reports.
“In a request submitted to the court yesterday (February 12), the South African government said it was gravely concerned that the unprecedented military offensive against Rafah, as announced by the State of Israel, has already led to and will result in further large-scale killing, harm and destruction,” a statement issued by South Africa’s presidency said.
“This would be in serious and irreparable breach both of the Genocide Convention and of the court’s order of January 26.”
The Hague-based ICJ declined to comment on whether it had received the request. France has said it was imposing sanctions against 28 “extremist Israeli settlers” who it accuses of com-mitting human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, AFP reports.
The 28 individuals are now banned from entering French territory, the foreign ministry said.
It said it firmly condemned “unacceptable” violence perpetrated by settlers against the Palestinian population that had increased in recent months.
“It is the responsibility of the Israeli authorities to put an end to it and to prosecute those who commit it,” it added.
France would also be seeking sanctions at the European level, it said.
Nahla Jarwan fled her home in the central Gaza Strip to seek refuge in Rafah — like more than one mil-lion other Palestinians escaping Israel’s military offensive.
Now, as Israeli shells crash into Rafah, Jarwan said she is going back to an area she fled, even though nowhere is safe.
She is one of dozens of people who residents said were leaving Rafah after Israeli shelling and air strikes in recent days.
“I fled Al-Maghazi, came to Rafah, and here I am, returning to Al-Maghazi,” said Jarwan, referring to the refugee camp from which she fled earlier in the conflict.
“Last night in Rafah was very tough. We’re going back to Al-Maghazi out of fear —) displaced from one area to another; hopefully, Al-Maghazi area would be safe, God willing.
“Wherever we go, there is no safety,” she said.
