THE head of the politburo of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has issued a stern warning against any Israeli military operation on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
Ismail Haniyeh raised the alarm yesterday after meeting with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussing the latest developments in Gaza, amid Israel’s plans to carry out a crushing offensive in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.
Haniyeh warned the offensive could lead to a massacre against the Palestinian people.
He said: ‘I call on all brotherly countries, our brothers in Egypt, our brothers in Turkey, our brothers in Qatar as mediators, and the European countries to take action to restrain Israeli aggression and prevent the operation in Rafah, as well as the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and the end of the attacks on Gaza.’
Pointing to the resistance of the Palestinian people in the southern Gaza city, Haniyeh said: ‘If the Zionist enemy enters into Rafah, Palestinian people will not raise the white flag. The resistance fighters in Rafah are ready to defend themselves and resist attacks.’
The Hamas chief also censured the US administration’s duplicity and untrammelled support for the Israeli regime’s months-long murderous aggression on Gaza.
‘What does the US veto of the ceasefire resolution at the UNSC mean? It means that the US is giving full protection and an umbrella for the continuation of the massacres and murders against Gaza,’ he added.
The Hamas leader also said Israel, which first heavily bombed Gaza from the air, before entering by land, adopted a strategy based on killing, imposing military and humanitarian blockades as well as destroying Palestinian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, bakeries, pharmacies, and factories.
‘For over five months, nothing entered Gaza. Hunger was used as a weapon to try to break the people’s will and to pressure them to migrate from north to south. It is a very difficult situation in terms of both the number of martyrs and wounded, as well as those trapped under the rubble,’ Haniyeh said.
‘There are thousands of martyrs buried under the rubble. Every day we discover new mass graves.’
Haniyeh underlined that at least 500 trucks need to enter Gaza daily for the reconstruction of hospitals, bakeries, infrastructure, and shelters.
The US House of Representatives has now passed a whopping $95-billion so-called aid package for the Israeli regime, Ukraine, and Chinese Taipei.
The bill provides $26 billion for the Israeli regime, which has been engaged in a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip since last October. This is to enable it to destroy the Palestinian revolution.
The draft legislations also send $60.84 billion to Ukraine, including $23 billion to replenish US weapons, stocks, and facilities, to enable Kiev to continue its war with Russia.
Lastly, the bills allocate $8.12 billion for the Indo-Pacific, including Taipei (Taiwan), despite China’s ongoing warnings against the US’s meddlesome policies towards the territory, over which Beijing enjoys sovereignty.
The Senate could take the bills up as early as tomorrow. Senate approval would then send the measures to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The passage of the bills have been closely followed by US military contractors, which are in line for huge contracts to supply hardware to Israel and the Ukraine.
President Biden welcomed the votes, saying they would ‘deliver critical support to Israel and Ukraine … and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific’.
On Saturday, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: ‘The allocation of US military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan will exacerbate global crises.’ It is to stoke up the war.
Workers in the US the UK and the EU cannot and will not just watch this conspiracy to smash the Palestinian revolution and revive the Ukraine’s war against Russia.
There is only one way forward. This is for the workers of the US, the UK and the EU to rise up to bring down their governments and go forward to socialism and the victory of the world socialist revolution!
