Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would press forward with its genocide into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
A growing chorus of voices have joined in calls for Israel not to enter Rafah, one of the last relatively safe areas, where 1.5 million people have sought shelter.
“We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm’s way,” Netanyahu said in a video address to a conference of the pro-Israel AIPAC organization in Washington, DC.
Netanyahu’s comments came as European Union leaders plan to urge Israel not to launch a ground operation in Rafah, according to draft conclusions of an upcoming summit.
“The European Council urges the Israeli government to refrain from a ground operation in Rafah, where well over a million Palestinians are currently seeking safety from the fighting and access to humanitarian assistance,” according to a draft text of conclusions of a summit seen by Reuters.
At least 31,341 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since last October, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Thursday.
