Türkiye says it expects Israel to take global warnings on Rafah attacks seriously

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Ankara expects Israel to consider the warnings by the global community against any attack on the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

“The international community has come together, issuing warnings to Israel, particularly urging against any attack on Rafah. There are very serious warnings, and we expect Israel to take these warnings into consideration,” Fidan told a news conference with his Georgian counterpart Ilia Darchiashvili in Ankara.

Fidan said Türkiye is exerting significant efforts, particularly in the realm of aid for Gazans, and is closely cooperating with Egypt on the issue.

The Turkish Red Crescent, disaster agency AFAD, and NGOs are engaged in humanitarian aid effort under the coordination of the Foreign Ministry, he said, but lamented limitations on the daily amount of aid that can enter the blockaded enclave.

“We are working with the international community to explore ways to increase this allowance,” Fidan said.

Since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, the Israeli offensive into Gaza has killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Israel has now announced plans for a ground invasion in Rafah, where more than 1 million people are sheltering, with world leaders ratcheting up pressure to abandon the offensive.

The South African government, meanwhile, has requested the ICJ to consider an intervention in Israel’s planned military operations in the Palestinian city.