By Aysu Bicer
CAMBRIDGE, UK (AA) - Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin labeled Israel's takeover of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday as "completely unacceptable."
"Invasion of Rafah will result in disastrous consequences. An immediate ceasefire and release of hostages is urgently needed," he wrote on X.
"Gaza in the grip of famine and the crossing is now closed to vital humanitarian aid," he added.
The Israeli army said that the 401st armored brigade seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza.
Army footage showed Israeli tanks rolling through the area and the Israeli flag raised on the Gaza side.
Israel has waged a military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which killed less than 1,200 people.
More than 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 78,000 injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
Nearly seven months into the Israeli onslaught, 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 is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.