Germany calls for protection of civilians in Rafah as Israeli attacks continue

BERLIN

Germany on Monday urged the protection of civilian lives in Rafah, the southern Gazan city that is home to over 1.4 million refugees and where a "precise" Israeli military operation is underway.

We think it's "incredibly difficult" to conduct a large-scale ground offensive in a densely populated city like Rafah. That's why we always appeal that "the protection of the civilian population plays a very important role in such military action," deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner told journalists in Berlin.

He reiterated the need for accelerated diplomatic efforts to resolve the Gaza war that began after an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas incursion that claimed 1,200 lives. Israel has since killed more than 35,000 Palestinians besides causing mass displacement, destruction, and conditions of famine in the blockaded enclave.

“Ultimately, we are all united by the goal that we must come back to a political process that ultimately shows a solution to this conflict. In the long term, the two-state solution is the only solution to sustainably resolve the Middle East conflict,” Wagner said.

The number of Palestinians forced to leave Rafah due to attacks by Israeli forces has risen to 360,000, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said earlier in the day.

The International Court of Justice in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.