Egypt, Kuwait warn of 'severe consequences' over possible Israeli military operation in Rafah

By Ibrahim Al Khazen

CAIRO (AA) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah warned Tuesday of severe consequences if Israel launches a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Al-Sabah arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for his first official visit to Egypt since he assumed office last December.

The two leaders affirmed their "determination to enhance trade and investment relations in the near future,'' the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

They also agreed on the "urgent need for an immediate and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip" as well as the necessity of facilitating "safe, sufficient and sustainable access for humanitarian assistance,'' the statement added.

They also expressed their "rejection of Israel's continued military operations, including the possibility of extending them to the city of Rafah," warning of "the severe humanitarian consequences that would result from such a move."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier in the day that the army will invade Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, with or without a cease-fire deal with Hamas.

Netanyahu’s statement came amid reports of a new cease-fire proposal being discussed by Hamas and Israel to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The new proposal includes Israel’s willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial release of hostages on humanitarian grounds, two Israeli officials told the news website Axios.

Hamas is expected to deliver its response to the truce proposal later this week.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and thousands of others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six 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 ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio