Israel Gaza: Biden says Israel must protect vulnerable in Rafah

A lot of people from Palestine who are trying to escape the fighting have found refuge in the urban area of Rafah located in the southern part of Gaza.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has expressed concern for the safety of the civilians residing in Rafah, located in the Gaza Strip. He has noted that these individuals are in a precarious situation and need proper protection.

He mentioned that Israel needs to exert "believable" actions to safeguard the over one million Palestinian people taking refuge in the southern city of Gaza.

Israeli air strikes have caused significant damage to Rafah in the past few days, resulting in several individuals losing their lives.

According to a doctor from Palestine, the residents of Rafah are currently experiencing a high level of fear. This information was conveyed to the BBC.

Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, made an announcement last week stating that he instructed soldiers to ready themselves for a broader mission in Rafah. In this mission, they aim to overcome the challenges posed by Hamas militants who are positioned and concealing themselves in the area. Netanyahu made a promise to rid the city of these militants and put an end to their violent activities.

Volker Türk, the leader of the UN human rights group, expressed his concern about possible attacks which could cause great fear and result in the loss of innocent lives.

Over half of the population residing in the Gaza Strip, amounting to 2.3 million people, has now been compacted into the city that is situated near the border of Egypt. Before the conflict between Israel and Hamas ensued in October, this city only accommodated 250,000 individuals.

Numerous individuals who have been displaced are residing in temporary shelters or tents under very poor living conditions. They have limited access to safe, potable water and sustenance.

During a military operation in Rafah on Sunday, it was reported that two hostages - males of Israeli-Argentine origin - had been successfully rescued by Israel's military forces.

After his meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan in Washington on Monday, President Biden once again urged for the safety of Rafah civilians.

He stated that no significant military action should take place in the urban area unless there is an adequate strategy in place to ensure the protection of the residents.

Numerous individuals have been forced to leave their homes on multiple occasions due to the ongoing violence in the northern region. Now, they find themselves crowded into Rafah, lacking protection and susceptible to harm.

It is crucial to safeguard them. Right from the beginning, we have made it apparent that we are against the coerced eviction of Palestinian individuals residing in Gaza.

The White House stated last week that it would not back significant Israeli activities happening in Rafah, unless they consider the refugees present there.

Numerous individuals escaped Israel's military operation on the remaining parts of Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Check out: What caused the population of 1.5 million Palestinians to settle in Rafah?

Several nations and global groups have cautioned Israel about proceeding with its proposed attack.

The Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, expressed a message to Israel on Monday requesting them to carefully reflect on their actions before proceeding with any further action in Rafah.

The chief of the EU's foreign policy, Josep Borrell, called upon Israel's allies to halt the transfer of weapons because numerous individuals in Gaza were losing their lives.

The previous week, Saudi Arabia cautioned that there would be significant consequences if there was an attack on Rafah.

In the meantime, the Hamas government in Gaza stated that a potential operation could result in "tens of thousands" of injuries and fatalities. They cautioned that such action could also sabotage discussions concerning the liberation of Israeli prisoners detained in the area.

Rafah is the solitary access point for humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza, located near the Egypt border.

The military of Israel started their actions in Gaza because of the occurrence in southern Israel. There were over 1,200 deaths due to gunmen led by Hamas. The gunmen also held 253 individuals captive.

Several hostages were set free at a later point in time, but according to Israel, 134 individuals are yet to be located.

The health department administered by Hamas located in Gaza has reported that in the past day, 164 individuals have passed away and 200 others have been harmed. This adds to the overall tally of 28,340 Palestinian deaths and almost 68,000 injuries since October 7th.

The media team from BBC News Arabic accompanied emergency medical responders in the northern Gaza region throughout the initial 30 days of the combat.