(The National Times & The Australian, 22/2/2024)
Graveyard is exactly what Israel plans – what a catastrophe this Government is not just for Palestinians but for all humanity – Mark
An Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would turn the southern Gaza city into a “graveyard” and heighten the looming risk of famine, leaders of global humanitarian groups warned on Tuesday.
“The consequences of a full scale assault on Rafah are truly unimaginable,” Avril Benoit, executive director of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) in the United States, told reporters.
“Carrying out a military offensive there would turn it into a graveyard,” Benoit said at a press briefing by MSF, Refugees International, Oxfam, Amnesty International and other groups.
Benoit said Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians live in crowded shelters and tent camps, is the “end of the line.”
“It’s the last hub of healthcare services and humanitarian assistance for the people in Gaza,” she said. “Attacking Rafah effectively means cutting off the lifelines of people who have already lost everything except their lives.”
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, said Israeli strikes have made it “virtually impossible” for humanitarian groups to safely operate inside Gaza and there was a growing risk of famine.
“People, mostly at this point in the north, are already right on the brink of famine,” Konyndyk said.
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