By Ingy Ashraf,
On Monday, Canada joined those urging Israel not to conduct a ground invasion against Gaza’s southern Rafah district, claiming that such an attack would be miserable for Palestinians.
Israel claims it intends to attack Rafah, the last relatively safe spot in the enclave, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians have fled. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the IDF to evacuate Rafah and destroy four Hamas battalions that it claims are stationed there.
Melanie Joly stated, “I’m very concerned about what’s going on in Gaza, in particular in Rafah. The operation would be devastating and is devastating to Palestinians and all those seeking refuge.”
She reinforced Canadian appeals for a permanent ceasefire and an immediate release of captives, ”What the Netanyahu government is asking them to do, which is to leave again, is unacceptable. Because they have nowhere to go and so that’s why we need right now for the violence to stop.”
Joly announced that she would meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Tuesday.