United Nations, May 1 (UNI) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that Israel’s military attack on Rafah in the Gaza Strip would cause an “unthinkable escalation” of the conflict and would result in the death of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
“A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee,” Guterres said.
The attack would terribly impact Gaza as well as the residents of the West Bank and the wider region, Guterres added.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Israel’s full-scale invasion of Rafah would result in “a humanitarian catastrophe” and urged all parties to the conflict to work for a lasting peace.
“A full scale invasion on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe. We appeal to Israel not to proceed. We urge all parties to work for a ceasefire and lasting peace,” the WHO chief said on X.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will carry out an operation in Rafah regardless of whether a deal on hostages is reached with Palestinian movement Hamas or not. He added that the Israeli military will enter Rafah to eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions as there was no other choice.
