Brussels, May 12 (UNI) European Council President Charles Michel urged Israel not to carry out a military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah and called it unacceptable to force civilians to evacuate the city to unsafe areas.
“Evacuation orders for civilians trapped in Rafah to unsafe zones are unacceptable. We call on the Israeli government to respect international humanitarian law and urge not to undertake a ground operation in Rafah,” Michel said on X on Saturday.
In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the Israeli army started a military operation in the eastern parts of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Israeli authorities say the operation is aimed at eliminating the remaining battalions of Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Israeli media reported that Israel’s military cabinet had approved expanding the ground operation in Rafah.
