Humanitarian agencies warn of 'unspeakable suffering' inflicted on people in Gaza
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Humanitarian organisations have voiced alarm over the "unspeakable suffering" now being inflicted on people in Gaza with the closure of all aid routes into the strip.
Israeli troops have taken "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
The move came after Israel ordered over 100,000 residents, most of whom are internally displaced, to “evacuate” whole neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah amid news its military operations in the area are already underway.
ActionAid Ireland expressed “grave concern” over the intensified attack on Rafah which is creating "a dire situation for the 2.2 million people already struggling with starvation, disease and a severe lack of medical support".
"The chaos of the last 48 hours has left Rafah's residents in terror and confusion, with nowhere safe to turn," ActionAid Ireland CEO, Karol Balfe said.
Ms Balfe added: “We remind the Israeli authorities that all those who remain or are unable to leave, including people in need of medical care, the elderly and people with disabilities, are protected under international humanitarian law, and must not be targeted.
Amnesty International called on all states to pressure Israel to immediately halt its ground operations in Rafah and ensure unfettered access for humanitarian aid in line with their obligations to prevent genocide.
Amnesty International’s senior director of research, advocacy, policy and campaigns Erika Guevara-Rosas described the latest developments as "cruel and inhumane".
“Palestinian civilians in Gaza are human beings, not pawns to be moved around a chessboard at the whim of the Israeli authorities.
"The notion that displaced civilians are safe anywhere in Gaza has proved a fallacy time and again as the Israeli military has attacked areas it had previously designated as safe," she said.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical team leader Aurélie Godard said the impact of an offensive on Rafah will further aggravate the damage to the health system, which is barely functioning. Ms Godard said:
"We have begun to discharge patients at Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital, those who can walk, as we also prepare for a possible evacuation."
Meanwhile, Green Party MEPs Ciarán Cuffe and Grace O'Sullivan along with candidate Pauline O'Reilly have written an open letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlining deep concern around the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"As the number of fatalities rises to 35,000 in Palestine, we ask you to state directly to prime minister Netanyahu that his actions are wrong and use your powers to seek a peaceful settlement to the conflict in the Middle East," the letter states.
"We urge you to work with member states to introduce a ban on arms exports, and with countries such as Ireland and Spain to recognise the State of Palestine."