Palestine slams Israeli premier's 'deceptive' talk about Rafah safe corridor

By Qais Abo Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian presidency on Monday slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about a safe corridor for citizens in Rafah, calling them a "deception to the world" aimed at endorsing forced displacement outside of the Gaza Strip.

“The US should not adhere to Israeli policy, especially as the region has reached a crossroads, and the continuous war against the Palestinian people will expand the confrontation regionally,” Palestine's news agency Wafa quotes Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh as saying.

“The massacres inflicted on our people in the Gaza Strip must be stopped, especially if the occupying army launches a ground attack on the densely populated city of Rafah,” he added.

Abu Rudeineh emphasized that the Israeli prime minister's talk of a safe corridor for citizens is “pure deception” because there is no longer a safe place in Gaza.

“A new Nakba and a forced displacement outside the Gaza Strip are completely unacceptable,” he added.

Palestinians sought refuge in Rafah after the Israeli army launched intensified bombardments on Gaza and Khan Younis cities, as well as their surrounding towns and neighborhoods, on Oct. 7, killing more than 28,000 people and causing widespread destruction and shortages of necessities.

Tel Aviv forced over 1.3 million Palestinians to relocate to the small city of Rafah, promising them that the city on Egypt's border would be safe.

However, On Sunday evening and early Monday morning, the Israeli army conducted a series of violent raids on various areas of Rafah, killing over 100 Palestinians and injuring dozens more, including children and women.

The Israeli army used gunboats to bomb the seashore, as well as helicopters to fire machine guns at citizens and displaced people amid some resistance from people in the northwest of Rafah.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio