Mikhail Bogdanov, the Special Envoy of the Russian President to the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, affirmed that any potential Israeli operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah could turn into a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Russian news agency “Novosti” quoted Bogdanov as saying: “More than one and a half million civilians are currently concentrated in the southern Gaza Strip in the Rafah area”… adding that “a humanitarian catastrophe will occur due to the bombing and Israeli army operations.”
Earlier, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be “unbearable,” while Hamas announced yesterday that it had informed mediators in Egypt and Qatar of its acceptance of their proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported that the Israeli Security Cabinet unanimously decided to continue the military operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas, facilitate the release of Israeli hostages, and achieve other war objectives.
On May 6, the Times of Israel reported that the Israeli army had begun evacuating civilians from the eastern neighborhoods of Rafah in preparation for a planned military operation.
The Israeli army seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border on Tuesday.
The Israeli army spokesperson’s office stated that Israeli forces conducted a targeted operation against Hamas elements in the eastern part of Rafah.
