The complete siege of Gaza that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered yesterday is clearly going to impact the entire population of Gaza. The Israelis are telling the people of Gaza to get out of the enclave now, but the only exit they’ve been given is the Rafah crossing into Egypt. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht advised any Palestinians able to leave the Gaza Strip and go to Egypt to do so. “Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out I would advise them to get out,” Hecht said, reported the Times of Israel.
But the Egyptians might take exception to the expelling of the people of Gaza into Egypt. Al Ahram newspaper, citing the Arabic language Al-Qahera News channel, reported that high-level Egyptian sources warned yesterday against pushing Palestinian civilians towards the Egyptian borders and fueling calls for mass displacement. The sources said that Egypt has not stopped attempting to defuse the crisis, since the escalation of the situation in the occupied territories. The sources added that Egypt intensified its communications with all relevant parties in the international community to halt the escalation and preserve the lives of the Palestinian people.
UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, meanwhile, issued a statement this morning, saying that the Israeli siege of Gaza is illegal under international law. “The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” he said. Türk also said, citing information gathered by his office, that Israeli air operations have struck residential buildings, including large tower blocks, as well as schools and UN buildings across Gaza, resulting in civilian casualties.
“International humanitarian law is clear: the obligation to take constant care to spare the civilian population and civilian objects remains applicable throughout the attacks,” he added.
