German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he opposes a possible Israeli operation in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, since, in his opinion, it will only worsen an already difficult situation.
⠀
“It is clear that we must now do everything possible to prevent the situation from becoming even worse than it already is. Israel has every right to defend itself against the attack that Hamas carried out, carrying out a horrific attack on Israeli citizens. At the same time, it should not be like this that many of those who fled to Rafah in the Gaza Strip are now under direct threat from military actions and operations. That is why I, like the American President, have made it very clear that we believe that everything must now be “It was done very, very carefully to avoid a large number of casualties in the future. Hence my concern about such an operation,” Scholz said at a press conference during a visit to Jordan. His words are quoted by the press service of the German government.
⠀
According to the Chancellor, it is necessary to focus on the negotiation process, which would allow reaching a truce and preventing a ground operation in Rafah.
⠀
“I think that a large number of casualties as a result of such an offensive would make any peace process in the region very difficult. Many people in Israel also know this. That is why for me this will be a very important part of the argument,” Scholz added.
⠀
Earlier, Israeli media, citing the Prime Minister’s Office, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at a meeting of the narrow military-political cabinet approved the plan for the operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing to evacuate civilians from the area. Netanyahu also rejected the latest offer from the Palestinian Hamas movement to release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a truce, saying the radicals’ demands were “still absurd.”
⠀
In March, Netanyahu confirmed Israel’s intentions to conduct a ground operation in the city of Rafah on the border of the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which is considered the last stronghold of the Palestinian Hamas movement. The UN and many countries have warned Israel against this move, as more than a million displaced Palestinians are now concentrated in the area.
