African Union condemns Israel for extending its offensive to Rafah

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday condemned Israel’s incursion into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, saying it has resulted in continuous loss of life and widespread devastation for civilians.

Mahamat said in a statement that the African Union "firmly condemns the extension of this war to the Rafah crossing, the only corridor for humanitarian aid."

At least 35 Palestinians were killed and 129 others injured as a result of the Israeli intense airstrikes on Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, in the past 24 hours, a medical source told Anadolu on Wednesday.

Since Monday, Rafah has been experiencing intensified Israeli airstrikes and shelling in all its areas, including residential areas.

The Israeli army on Tuesday started its invasion into the eastern area of Rafah under which the Israeli army stormed and occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, closing Gazan Palestinians' only gateway with the world.

Mahamat said Israel's war in Gaza has resulted "at every moment, in massive deaths, systematic destruction, and loss of human life."

He called on the international community to work together to end the violence and bring about lasting peace in the Middle East.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.