Hamas labels Israel's entrance into Rafah a 'dangerous escalation'

DPA
·1 min read
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Smoke rises following Israeli air strikes near the Rafah crossing. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli military has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
Smoke rises following Israeli air strikes near the Rafah crossing. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli military has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Tuesday called Israel's storming of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt a "dangerous escalation" against civilian facilities protected by international law.

It added in a statement that the military attack will exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and will prevent the flow of much needed emergency relief aid to Gaza.

Hamas said Palestinians in Gaza "are subjected to a war of extermination and systematic starvation" by Israel, which it dubbed "the Nazi occupation."

"This crime - which comes directly after the Hamas movement announced its approval of the mediators’ proposal - confirms the occupation’s intention to disrupt mediation efforts for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners...," the statement said.

The statement also called on the US administration and the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the escalation, which it said threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip.

Palestinians inspect a damaged house after Israeli warplanes bombed buildings in Rafah. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
Palestinians inspect a damaged house after Israeli warplanes bombed buildings in Rafah. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa