The foreign ministers of 13 countries have warned Israel against a comprehensive military offensive on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to media reports.
The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that the signatories also called for increased assistance to the Palestinian population. All G7 major industrialized countries except the United States signed the four-page letter.
In the letter addressed to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the ministers emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Islamist groups on October 7. At the same time, they called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to do everything in its power to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
They also called for the opening of border crossings. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, they urged Israel to open all border crossings in the coastal enclave for aid delivery, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Just over a week ago, the Israeli army advanced from the east towards Rafah despite strong international warnings. Since then, the army has controlled the Palestinian side of the border crossing with Egypt.
An important border crossing has since been closed for humanitarian aid. Israel and Egypt accuse each other of this. The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of the G7 countries Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and Canada, as well as their counterparts from Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and Sweden.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the deployment of additional troops to Rafah. Hundreds of targets have already been hit there and several tunnels destroyed, according to the Israeli army. According to UN data, around 600,000 people have already left the city on the border with Egypt.
