Rights group warns of imminent Israeli invasion of Rafah

A major rights advocacy group has warned that Israel’s bombardment earlier this week of the city of Rafah in Gaza may open the doors for an invasion of the area which is home to more than a million Palestinian refugees.

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention said on its page on the X platform on Tuesday that Israel’s air strikes on Rafah on March 27 could lead to a new genocide in Gaza where people have been suffering from an all-out Israeli aggression for nearly six months.

“These attacks could be the opening salvo to Israel’s promised ground invasion of the town,” said the group.

Some 1.4 million people are believed to be sheltering in Rafah, a small city on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt and the only gateway through which humanitarian aid can reach the people in the Palestinians enclave.

Governments and international organizations, including Israel’s main ally the United States, have warned that Israel would cross a red line if it expands its attacks to Rafah.

The Lemkin Institute said the attacks earlier this week on Rafah should be a wakening call for US President Joe Biden and his administration as many expect them to prevent Israel from invading the city.

It said if Biden fails to act on the issue, he will be remembered by the world forever for “his betrayal of humanity”.

Nearly 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its one-sided war on the territory in early October in response to an operation by the resistance group Hamas which killed some 1,200 Israeli settlers and military forces.

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