UPDATE - International community 'must act' to prevent Israel's ground offensive in Rafah: EU's Borrell

ADDS COMMENTS BY EU COMMISSIONER FOR ENLARGEMENT; OTHER EDITS; REVISES DECK

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief on Monday called on the international community to prevent Israel’s planned ground offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, calling its evacuation orders to civilians in the city of some 1.5 million "unacceptable."

"Israel's evacuation orders to civilians in Rafah portend the worst: more war and famine. It is unacceptable. Israel must renounce to a ground offensive and implement UNSCR (UN Security Council Resolution) 2728," Josep Borrell wrote on X.

He said that the EU, with the international community "can and must act" to prevent such a scenario.

Quoting Borrell, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic also said that the months-long suffering of civilians in Gaza is "unbearable."

"Israel’s ground operation in Rafah would only make it worse," he noted.

Lenarcic added that a cease-fire is "long overdue" to liberate the hostages and provide life-saving aid to those in need.

Israel has reportedly begun evacuating some neighborhoods in Rafah despite widespread opposition from the international community to its plans to invade the city.

Rafah is home to more than 1.5 million Palestinians, who have taken refuge from the war launched by Israel following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 people.

Since then, the Israeli onslaught has killed more than 34,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, besides causing a humanitarian catastrophe.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast tracts 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 also 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 Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.