Egypt warns of 'catastrophic repercussions' if Israel attacks Rafah

Photo: Agence France-Presse Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri urged Israel not to attack Rafah.

France Media Agency in Geneva

5:21 p.m.

• Middle East

Egypt warned in Geneva on Tuesday that an Israeli army offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza would have “catastrophic repercussions” on peace in the Middle East.< /p>

“Any military action under the current circumstances would have catastrophic repercussions that would jeopardize peace in the region,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said, urging Israel not to attack Rafah and calling for a ceasefire. immediate fire.

“The world is witnessing the most heinous crimes and violations against the Palestinian people,” he added.

The head of Egyptian diplomacy spoke, with his counterparts from the Arab League, before the UN Human Rights Council, which is holding its 55th session in Geneva.< /p>

He deplored that some of the 47 member countries of the Council refuse to take the firm measures for Gaza that they have taken in other conflicts, criticizing a policy of double standards.

“It seems that life in Gaza does not sufficiently deserve their attention, that the massacre of tens of thousands of children fails to shake their conscience, which is very sensitive to other subjects,” said he declared.

“The lives of the children of Gaza are apparently less valuable than those of others […]. This augurs a collapse of the international system, including this council,” he added.

The war broke out on October 7 when Hamas commandos launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to a count from Agence France-Presse based on official Israeli data.

According to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, of whom 31 are believed to be dead. The Israeli offensive left 29,878 dead in Gaza, the vast majority civilians, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health which governs the territory.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita declared that the world “cannot continue to turn a blind eye” to the “unprecedented human disaster” in Gaza.

The Qatari Minister of International Cooperation, Lolwah Al-Khater, estimated that Gaza was the scene of a “genocidal war”, and that the situation in the occupied West Bank was deteriorating.

“The sponsorship by some world powers of this Israeli exception above international law should end,” she told the Council.