UK deputy foreign secretary: ‘not easy to see’ how Israeli offensive on Rafah could be compliant with international humanitarian law
The UK’s deputy foreign secretary, Andrew Mitchell, has told lawmakers in parliament in London that in the present circumstances, it was “not easy to see” how an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip could be “compliant with international humanitarian law”.
Answering a question about the prospect of Israel launching a ground assault on Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people are sheltering, Mitchell said:
Given the number of civilians sheltering in Rafah, it’s not easy to see how such an offensive could be compliant with international humanitarian law in the current circumstances.
He said the British government was doing everything it could to prevent an assault on Rafah while it was sheltering civilians.
Mitchell reiterated the words of the foreign secretary, David Cameron, yesterday, telling MPs that “Hamas should accept the deal that has been put on the table”, while accepting that “these negotiations are fluid at the moment”.
Shadow foreign secretary, the opposition Labour MP David Lammy, said:
More than 30,000 Palestinians are dead, more than 100 Israeli hostages are still unaccounted for and Gaza is facing famine. The war must end now with an immediate ceasefire; that needs both sides to agree.
It was Hamas, not Israel, which rejected the last internationally brokered ceasefire deal. Now a new offer is on the table. Hamas has the power now to stop the fighting.
Key events
UN court rejects Nicaragua case over German arms exports to Israel
The top UN court has rejected a request by Nicaragua to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel and to renew funding to the UN aid agency in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice said that legal conditions for making such an order weren’t met. However, it did not throw out the case entirely, as Germany had requested.
The court said it remained deeply concerned about conditions in Gaza.
Nicaragua had alleged that Germany is enabling genocide by sending arms and other support to Israel. The Central American country established direct diplomatic relations with Palestine in 1980.
The ICJ has ruled against issuing emergency measures over Germany’s arms exports to Israel.
More details soon …
If you are interested in finding out more about the crisis in the Middle East and the Guardian’s reporting on it, we have an event later today which might help.
Guardian Newsroom: Crisis in the Middle East is a livestreamed event which will be chaired by Devika Bhat, the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, and will feature contributions from Peter Beaumont, the Guardian’s senior international reporter, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Guardian reporter, and Emma Graham-Harrison, senior international affairs correspondent.
The event takes place on Tuesday 30 April 2024, from 7pm-8:15pm BST. You can book tickets online, and find out more details here …
Here is a video report on the blockading of Columbia University in New York by students protesting about Israel’s war in Gaza.
UK deputy foreign secretary: ‘not easy to see’ how Israeli offensive on Rafah could be compliant with international humanitarian law
The UK’s deputy foreign secretary, Andrew Mitchell, has told lawmakers in parliament in London that in the present circumstances, it was “not easy to see” how an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip could be “compliant with international humanitarian law”.
Answering a question about the prospect of Israel launching a ground assault on Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million people are sheltering, Mitchell said:
Given the number of civilians sheltering in Rafah, it’s not easy to see how such an offensive could be compliant with international humanitarian law in the current circumstances.
He said the British government was doing everything it could to prevent an assault on Rafah while it was sheltering civilians.
Mitchell reiterated the words of the foreign secretary, David Cameron, yesterday, telling MPs that “Hamas should accept the deal that has been put on the table”, while accepting that “these negotiations are fluid at the moment”.
Shadow foreign secretary, the opposition Labour MP David Lammy, said:
More than 30,000 Palestinians are dead, more than 100 Israeli hostages are still unaccounted for and Gaza is facing famine. The war must end now with an immediate ceasefire; that needs both sides to agree.
It was Hamas, not Israel, which rejected the last internationally brokered ceasefire deal. Now a new offer is on the table. Hamas has the power now to stop the fighting.
Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported that ten people have been detained by Israeli security forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank during raids today.
The vehicle of the German ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, was hit by stones thrown by crowds during his visit to University of Birzeit north of Ramallah, Haaretz reports.
Israeli police said today that a Turkish national stabbed an Israeli border policeman officer in Jerusalem and was then shot dead by officers, Reuters reported.
The Israeli prime minister’s office has shared his comments on Rafah.
Haaretz reports that Netanyahu made the comments during a meeting with representatives of hostage families, and quotes him saying “the idea that we will end the war before achieving all of our objectives is unacceptable. We will enter Rafah and obliterate all the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, to achieve total victory.”
Netanyahu: Israel will enter Rafah with or without deal
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will enter the city of Rafah in southern Gaza to eliminate Hamas, with or without a ceasefire and hostage release deal. He added that the notion of ending the war before Israel has reached its objectives is not an option.
More details soon …