As Israel is concerned about the serious casualties of innocent citizens if it deploys ground troops in the Gaza Strip under the pretext of destroying the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, diplomatic efforts by related countries to prevent this are becoming busy.
If the Israeli military engages in ground warfare in the Gaza Strip, a densely populated area with 2.3 million people, the sense of humanitarian crisis is growing as civilian casualties are inevitable no matter how precisely Hamas is targeted.
The Israeli military, which blockaded the Gaza Strip, notified residents to evacuate to the south by the afternoon of the 15th (currently), but the ‘Rafah Passage’, which connects the Gaza Strip to southern Egypt, is blocked by Egypt’s blockade and Hamas is blocking evacuation. As claims are made, the safety of residents is not guaranteed.
As of today, the 9th day of the war that began with an attack by Hamas, the cumulative death toll in the Gaza Strip alone has exceeded 2,600 due to Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes.
In this situation, there are concerns that if a ground war breaks out, civilian casualties will rapidly increase.
Frank McKenzie, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, told the Washington Post, “It will be a bloodbath for everyone,” predicting that Israel will be plunged into unpredictable urban warfare and the war between Israel and Hamas will prolong.
It is pointed out that even if Israel occupies the Gaza Strip, there is no mid- to long-term plan for what to do thereafter, which could only lead to casualties and increase conflict and confrontation surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Accordingly, the call to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip is gaining strength. The killing of non-combatants, such as civilians, is a war crime under international law. Reflecting these concerns, the diplomatic steps of major countries such as the United States and related countries are also accelerating.
US President Joe Biden is reportedly considering a visit to Israel.
While President Biden supports Israel’s call for the complete elimination of Hamas, he said he was “confident that Israel will act according to the rules of war.” In the full text of the U.S. CBS broadcast’s in-depth interview program ’60
Minutes’ released on the 15th (local time), President Biden responded to concerns about civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip as follows and expressed a negative stance on Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip. In an interview with CBS ‘s current affairs program ‘Face the Nation’ , White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized, “Israel must follow the rule of law and the laws of war.” “We must ensure the safety of civilians, as well as protect those trying to get to safe places and provide access to food, beverages, medicine, and shelter,” he said. Earlier, 55 Democratic congressmen signed a letter last week urging President Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken to pressure Israel to open a humanitarian evacuation route for Gaza residents and take steps to reduce the casualties of innocent civilians.
Meanwhile, Western leaders and diplomats are in constant contact with high-ranking Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, and are demanding the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip, their evacuation, and access to humanitarian aid, the British daily Financial Times reported.
A Western official pointed out that “Israel’s plan is to completely destroy Hamas, but they are not thinking about what to do after that.” The Arab League ( AU
) , which consists of Saudi Arabia and Arab countries from the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, and the African Union ( AL ) , of which 55 African countries are members, issued a joint statement urging Israel to withdraw its ground war plan. These organizations said, “We must prevent a disaster before it is too late,” and expressed concern that “(the deployment of Israeli ground troops) could lead to genocide on an unprecedented scale.” The Chinese government criticized Israel’s actions, saying “Israel’s actions have already gone beyond the scope of self-defense” and announced that it plans to dispatch a special envoy to the Middle East next week to prevent the escalation of this war and mediate negotiations. Russia called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and proposed the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution condemning violence against civilians and acts of terrorism. While President Biden is known to be considering a visit to Israel, Germany’s NTV broadcast reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also visit Israel on the 17th. The German government did not immediately confirm these reports. Previously, the German government sent Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock to Israel last week to express its support for Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas.
The United States and related countries are waging fierce behind-the-scenes diplomatic warfare and making efforts to open an evacuation route to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where 1 million refugees, nearly half of the total population of the Gaza Strip (2.3 million people), flocked to escape the Israeli army’s attack, there is talk that water supply from outside has been resumed and the border with Egypt has been reopened to a limited extent. It’s coming out.
The Israeli government, which completely cut off the supply of water, fuel, and electricity to the Gaza Strip from the 9th of this month, announced that it had resumed water supply to the southern part of the Gaza Strip from the previous day, and expected that this measure would speed안전놀이터 up the speed of residents’ flight to the southern area. .
Citing an Egyptian security source, Reuters reported that three countries, including Egypt, Israel, and the United States, agreed to reopen the Rafah border crossing connecting the Gaza Strip and Egypt with a temporary ceasefire from 9 a.m. on the 16th. did.
The media predicted that Palestinians holding foreign passports and others could be allowed to leave the country, saying that an oil transport truck with a UN flag was actually seen crossing from Gaza to Egypt along the Rafah passage.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, “There is currently no ceasefire or humanitarian aid in exchange for foreigners leaving the Gaza Strip.”
It is still unclear whether the Rafah passage has actually been reopened and what kind of people will use this passage and on what scale.
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