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EU urges Israel to end Rafah military operation ‘immediately’
“Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel,” said the statement issued in the EU’s name by its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
“The European Union urges Israel to end its military operation in Rafah immediately,” the statement said, warning it was “further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering.”
The bloc – the main aid donor for the Palestinian territories and Israel’s biggest trading partner – said more than a million people in and around Rafah had been ordered by Israel to flee the area to other zones the UN says cannot be considered safe.
Israel has launched a brutal war on Gaza since October 7. Israel’s relentless bombardment from the air and a ground offensive inside Gaza has killed more than 35,000 – mostly women and children.
Israel’s main allies, the United States and the EU, as well as the United Nations, have all warned Israel against a major operation in Rafah given that it would add to the civilian toll.