By Yusuf Alioglu
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Israel’s military incursion into eastern Rafah and its control over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing is pushing southern Gaza toward a humanitarian crisis, the enclave’s Government Media Office said Thursday.
In a statement, the office warned of “a deep humanitarian catastrophe that has begun to emerge as a result of the Israeli occupation's invasion of the eastern part of Rafah.”
It added that the situation was exacerbated by "the Israeli army taking control of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, deeming the situation as "clear indications of a real crisis in Gaza."
The Media Office added that the Israeli occupation forces have prevented the entry of more than 400 aid trucks, and travel of the wounded and sick, including 159 cancer patients, over the past two days.
The statement said that "the crime of halting aid portends a famine for more than 1.7 million people living in the southern Gaza governorates."
It also warned that these people will not be able to secure a single meal daily in the coming days amid the scarcity of food and water due to Israeli aggression.
On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
A day later, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing linking Gaza with Egypt, closing it to all traffic.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion last year that killed about 1,200 people.
Tel Aviv’s war has since killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while some 78,500 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Over seven months into Israel’s genocidal 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 the Palestinian territory.
It also ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and asked it to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to Gaza’s civilians.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul