Israel’s war on Gaza — now in its 134th day — has killed at least 28,775 Palestinians and wounded 68,552 others, as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders proposes arms embargo against Israel in response to its brutal war on besieged Gaza. UN humanitarian officials say Palestinians in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah are reportedly moving out of that region toward central areas around Deir al-Balah as intensified Israeli air strikes continue. An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza’s population, have crammed into Rafah, most of them displaced by fighting elsewhere in the territory. Hundreds of thousands are living in sprawling tent camps. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters about the reported movements toward Deir al-Balah, which is roughly 16 kilometres north of Rafah. He also described the lack of food in Rafah and elsewhere — especially in northern Gaza, the first target of the offensive, where large areas have been completely destroyed. “In Rafah, humanitarian conditions have become increasingly severe, with continued reports of people stopping aid trucks to take food,” he said. “Vulnerable segments of the population include children, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions, are particularly susceptible to the risk of malnutrition.” Throughout Gaza, Dujarric said the delivery of aid is hindered by frequent border closures, longstanding import restrictions of goods into Gaza, damage to critical infrastructure, and the security situation. Israel should not attack Rafah: Italian deputy prime minister Israel should not attack Rafah and wait for a ceasefire, which cannot be unilateral, the Italian deputy prime minister and foreign minister said. Antonio Tajani held a news conference after he landed in Germany late Friday to attend the 60th Munich Security Conference and said foreign ministers of G7 countries will hold their first meeting on Saturday under the Italian presidency as part of the Conference. He stressed that G7 countries could move toward a ceasefire in Gaza for the release of hostages. “If Hamas also wants the good of its people, it must stop all acts of war and release the hostages,” he said. “Without their release, any negotiations are difficult.” Ex-HRW chief urges global halt in military aid to Israel Former Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), Kenneth Roth, said pressure should be exerted to halt military aid and arms sales to the Israeli government. Roth, in an interview with Anadolu on the current situation in Gaza, urged a worldwide economic boycott against Israel and said Tel Aviv’s attacks on Rafah on the border with Egypt should stop. “Israel must provide information to the court by Feb. 23. It’s unclear how they will defend themselves because they have not complied with the court’s decision so far,” said Roth, referring to an International Court of Justice order on Jan. 26 for Israel to take “immediate and effective” measures to enable the provision of urgently needed services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. “Pressure needs to be put on the Israeli government — through war crimes charges and an end to military aid and arms sales,” Roth said. UN official demands ‘arms embargo’ against Israel amid Gaza war The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders proposed imposing an “arms embargo” on Israel in response to its onslaught in besieged Gaza. “We have to allow humanitarian aid in there and also there has to be an arms embargo,” Mary Lawlor told Anadolu Agency about the situation in the blockaded enclave, rights violations and steps countries should take to stop Israel’s bombardment. “In my view, any of the states that are fuelling this conflict by supplying arms to Israel just have to stop because Israel is not seeing any sense at the moment,” she said. Israel’s attacks on Gaza increase support for worldwide boycott against Israeli products: activist A global boycott movement against Israeli products has gained significant traction with the recent Israeli onslaught in besieged Gaza, according to activist and spokesperson for Palestine Initiative, Tulay Gokcimen. “The oppression Israel has been inflicting on Palestine for 75 years before the massacres in Gaza was not fully described, but now everyone wants to do something as much as they can,” Gokcimen told Anadolu Agency. The momentum for the group that seeks to be a voice for Palestinians has transformed into a global movement, encompassing diverse communities and religions, she said. “They made the whole world Palestinian. Demonstrations are being held in front of food and beverage chains supporting Israel in different countries every day, raising awareness among the public,” she noted. Hamas welcomes UN court’s demands for Israel to immediately implement provisional measures in Rafah The Palestinian resistance group Hamas welcomed demands by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] for Israel to implement immediate provisional measures in Rafah, which is threatened by an Israeli ground invasion. Hamas said it welcomes the ICJ decisions “which stressed the necessity to immediately implement provisional measures ordered by the court on January 26.” It urged the court to develop its decisions into “direct and clear order to stop the brutal aggression that leads to genocide against the unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip.”
Palestinians flee Rafah from Israeli attack towards central Gaza
