The US refuses to support attacks in Rafah because of the high population density: ‘It would be a disaster’

White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby has stated that the United States does not support the expansion of Israeli military operations into the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, as it would be a “disaster ” would mean for the Palestinians who find themselves in this area, where thousands of people have been displaced from places that were previously evacuated and under constant bombardment.

“More than a million Palestinians are sheltered in Rafah and its environment. That’s where they need to go, so there are a lot of displaced people. “The Israeli military has a special obligation to ensure, when conducting operations, that it takes into account the protection of innocent civilians, especially those driven south by operations further north,” he said in a statement. press conference.

Kirby stressed that “if the protection of civilians on that scale in Gaza is not fully taken into account, military operations at this time would be a disaster for those people.” “And it’s not something we support,” he concluded.

Israel has announced that it plans to expand its fight against Hamas in the Rafah area in the south of the country, a densely populated area. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated last week, and confirmed earlier this week, that the Israeli army would reach “places where they have not yet fought,” both in the center and in the south of the enclave, “especially towards the last remaining Hamas. (stronghold) in Rafah.”

So far, the Israeli offensive has left more than 27,800 dead and 67,317 injured in the Gaza Strip. Similarly, 383 Palestinians have been killed in operations carried out by Israeli security forces and attacks carried out by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the Hamas attacks, which left 1,200 dead and 240 kidnapped in Israeli territory.