By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has warned that an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, would be devastating. 

“I’m very concerned about what’s going on in Gaza, in particular Rafah,” Joly reportedly told reporters in Ottawa on Monday. “The operation would be devastating and is devastating to Palestinians and all those seeking refuge.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday directed the army to draft a plan for evacuating the civilians in Rafah so that the ground offensive could go ahead. More than one million Palestinians – who have been warned by Israel to leave the area – are crammed into the territory, having been forcibly displaced from other parts of the besieged enclave. 

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“What the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government (of Israel) is asking (Palestinians) to do, which is to leave again, is unacceptable,” Joly said, according to the Anadolu news agency. “They have nowhere to go and so that’s why we need right now for the violence to stop.

She reportedly added, “We need a sustainable cease-fire. We need a hostage deal. Hostages must be released and humanitarian aid must go in.”

Joly will be in Washington on Tuesday for talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Jordan’s King Abdullah met with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday and is slated to visit Canada on Wednesday.

Air Strikes Kill Hundreds 

In the early hours of Monday, Israeli occupation forces embarked on an intense bombardment campaign targeting the densely overcrowded southern Gaza city of Rafah, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians, including a significant number of children and women.

Following the air strikes, International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he was “deeply concerned “about reports of bombardment and potential ground invasion by Israeli forces in Rafah.

‘Matter of Utmost Urgency’ – ICC Prosecutor Warns Israel over Rafah Plan

Khan warned in a post on X, that the court is “actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed” in Gaza.

“My Office has an ongoing and active investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine. This is being taken forward as a matter of the utmost urgency, with a view to bringing to justice those responsible for Rome Statute crimes,” Khan said.

The chief prosecutor also said that, since his message from Ramallah last year, he has “not seen any discernible change in conduct by Israel.”

Violation of ICJ Orders

Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to comply with six emergency measures to protect Palestinians’ rights and cease all activities that could constitute genocide. 

Netanyahu’s government was given until February 23 to report to the ICJ on what it has done to comply with measures issued by the court. This includes steps taken to end incitement to genocide as well as the improvement of the provision of humanitarian aid.

‘Dire Consequences’ – Egypt Warns against Israel’s Ground Offensive in Rafah

The UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, believes Israel’s ongoing actions in the Gaza Strip may be defying the World Court’s rulings.  

Albanese stated on X that “Defying the ICJ’s interim measures, ISR’s  (Israel’s) escalation in Gaza has led to hundreds of casualties, more devastation & forced displacement. ISR is obligated to adhere to the Court’s order, & states must act decisively to prevent further atrocities.”

Rising Death Toll

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 28,473 Palestinians have been killed, and 68,106 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 8,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

‘ICJ’s Rulings on Israel are Binding’ – UN Secretary-General

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all of the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

(PC, Anadolu)