World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Israel’s proposed “all-out invasion of Rafah” would be a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
“We appeal to Israel not to proceed. We call on all parties to work towards a ceasefire and lasting peace,” Tedros said. Said in a statement on Twitter.
in Another post Mr Tedros said on Tuesday he would meet Dr Mike Ryan, director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, and Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to “discuss the dire and extremely concerning health situation”. Ta. and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. ”
the United States and its many allies Paused In January, funding for UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestine, was announced after Israeli intelligence revealed that UNRWA staff had actively participated in the October 7 Hamas atrocities. went. Some of those allies have since We have resumed The United Nations has not yet completed an investigation into how Hamas operatives came to be employed by relief agencies, citing the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip with funding. ing.
“Continuing man-made starvation and the blockade of humanitarian aid and basic services are increasing the risk of deadly epidemics,” Tedros said, calling for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds. demanded.
Like many other international officials who have called for a humanitarian ceasefire, Tedros did not mention the fact that Hamas is maintaining a ceasefire. leave Essentially, any round of ceasefire negotiations is halted when a minimal compromise to maximalist demands is proposed.
Of course, Hamas is also the party that started the Gaza war, and one of its positions refusing to compromise is as follows. free the hostages The photo was taken during an outrageous crime against humanity committed against Israeli civilians on October 7th.
What Tedros has done is remarkable. criticize Hamas He said he had taken hostages in October and called for their “immediate release on health and humanitarian grounds.” Hamas did not respond to this request.
american intermediary Said On Wednesday, Hamas announced it was preparing to blow up another cease-fire deal, even though the proposal was “extremely lenient” to terrorists. So generous, in fact, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government was on the verge of collapse over what some criticized as a series of “dangerous” concessions.
The concessions reportedly included a significant reduction in the number of hostages that Israel wants Hamas to release, in part due to concerns over the dwindling number of living hostages. .
The Biden administration is pushing hard to conclude a deal with Israel. pressure Despite coming from the terrorist sympathizer wing of the Democratic Party, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was furious on Tuesday. Admitted Hamas’s hardline stance is a major obstacle to an agreement.
“Israel has made a very important compromise. There is no time for haggling any more. The deal is there. They should accept it,” Blinken said, but this did not leave Hamas alone. means.
Blinken’s comments infuriated Hamas leaders, who accused him of making public statements “contrary to reality” to pressure the terrorist group.
Prime Minister Netanyahu Said Blinken said Wednesday that he has no intention of permanently ending the war in Gaza as part of a hostage deal, and that an invasion of Rafah is now inevitable.
“We will enter Rafah because we have no other choice. We will destroy the local Hamas battalion and achieve all of our war objectives, including the return of all hostages,” Netanyahu said. Said.
Blinken appears to have accepted that despite the Biden administration’s continued portrayal of the invasion of Rafah as a “red line” that Netanyahu must not cross.
“I cannot and will not support a major military operation in Rafah without an effective plan to ensure that civilians are not harmed,” Blinken said at a press conference Wednesday. No, I have never seen such a plan.”
Blinken added, “There are other ways, and in our judgment, better ways, to address Hamas’s continued challenge that do not require a large-scale military operation in Rafah.” He did not provide details on what those “better ways” might be. .
Rafah is Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza and is swelled with refugees from across the region, creating humanitarian complications for military operations there. The current population of the city is estimated at approximately 1.5 million people. According to Israeli intelligence, 18 of Hamas’s 24 armed battalions have been destroyed, and four of the remaining six battalions are holed up in Rafah, along with some of the group’s leaders.
One of the major humanitarian problems from the upcoming Rafah operation is that refugees from the attack could head towards the Egyptian border, and Egypt warned A decades-old peace agreement with Israel could be jeopardized by Palestinians pouring across the border or by an aggressive Israeli military campaign to wrest control of the border from Egypt.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has suggested it could create humanitarian “islands” elsewhere in Gaza for civilians evacuated from Rafah, but human rights groups say claim After months of air strikes and ground operations, no such safe areas remain.
Rather than instructing Hamas to hand over its leaders to trial for the October 7 atrocities and end the war, Tedros and other international officials called for an unconditional suspension of Israel’s successful campaign against Hamas. By demanding that Israel do so, it implicitly shifts the entire burden of humanitarian considerations to Israel. That way, Hamas could have avoided all the deaths in Gaza over the past six months.
As clear aggressors and perpetrators of horrific crimes against humanity, responsibility should be held firmly against them. By organizations nominally concerned with peace, justice, or global health.
