Israel's attack on Rafah has been criticized from many quarters

Huang Peizhao, special correspondent of this newspaper in Egypt, and Wang Yi, special correspondent of this newspaper

"The Israeli army has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing" - the announcement of the Israel Defense Forces on the 7th shocked the international community. Rafah is the only crossing point connecting the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the same day strongly condemning Israel's occupation, calling it a "dangerous escalation" and a "serious threat to the lives of more than 1 million Palestinians who depend on this crossing." According to the Egyptian newspaper "Izvestia", Israel's latest actions have further aggravated the situation in the Middle East, and the attack and occupation of the Rafah crossing took place at a time when Hamas announced its acceptance of a new ceasefire agreement, which has made negotiations more difficult and the Palestinians and Israelis have been drawn deeper into the quagmire of war. China and France issued a joint statement on the situation in the Middle East on the 7th. The two Heads of State oppose the Israeli attack on Rafah, which will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe on a larger scale, as well as the forcible relocation of Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli flag was raised at the Rafah crossing

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on 7 July that it had occupied the Rafah crossing after receiving information that it was being used for "terrorist purposes" and that it had now achieved "operational control" over the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. In addition to killing 20 "militants" and destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the area, the Israeli army said it had also discovered "three operational silos" and that "the operation has not yet ended and is still ongoing." Reuters said that records from hospitals in the Gaza Strip show that at least 23 people were killed in Israel's attack on Rafah on the night of the 6th, including six women and five children.

According to CNN, Rafah is the only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and an important gateway for humanitarian aid to the people of the besieged Gaza Strip. A Palestinian official said the flow of aid through the crossing had completely halted following the Israeli occupation of Rafah. Video released by the Israel Defense Forces shows the Israeli flag being raised on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. According to The Guardian, Times of Israel reporters posted videos on social media showing tanks with huge Israeli flags driving in Rafah.

What does the Israeli occupation of the Rafah crossing mean? After a new round of clashes between Israel and Hamas broke out last October, Israel closed all crossings in the Gaza Strip except Rafah, the only crossing outside of Israeli control, CNN said. Since the beginning of the war, Rafah has become an important conduit that allows for the limited inflow of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of a small number of Palestinians and foreigners from Gaza. A spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on the 7th that after Israel occupied the Rafah crossing, it refused to allow UN personnel and aid to pass through the crossing. A source with knowledge of Israel's plans told CNN that Israel's actions against Rafah would be "very limited" with the aim of putting pressure on Hamas; This operation is not a larger incursion into Rafah that Israel has been promoting for weeks.

The British newspaper The Guardian said that for Egypt, the Rafah crossing is very sensitive, and Egypt is eager to avoid a mass influx of Palestinians into the country. A permanent presence at the crossing will give Israel the ability to control all access points into Gaza and use it as a platform for further action.

According to the Associated Press, four Israeli soldiers were killed when Hamas fired rockets from eastern Rafah before the Israeli attack on the Rafah crossing. During Israel's seven-month war against Gaza, 1.5 million Gazans were forced to seek refuge in Rafah. On the 7th, thousands of people fled Rafah again.

"People's emotions are on a roller coaster"

"In just a few days, hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have been emerging, dashing and reappearing, with no clear explanation." According to the New York Times, this confusion was especially evident on the 6th. That evening, Hamas unexpectedly announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip put forward by brokers Qatar and Egypt. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire proposal was "far from meeting Israel's basic requirements." From the night of the 6th to the early morning of the 7th, Israeli troops and tanks entered the Rafah crossing and simultaneously launched air strikes on the area.

The BBC's analysis said that Hamas's agreement to a ceasefire surprised most observers and upended Israel's expectations of what might happen in the coming weeks. Israel's assumption is that Hamas will not accept what the Americans call an "unusually generous" ceasefire offer. The details of the agreement are not known. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the proposal is complex and involves three phases, including the exchange of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza region. The differences between Israel and Hamas over the ceasefire agreement in Gaza continue to focus on the question of whether a temporary ceasefire or a permanent ceasefire.

According to the BBC, people in some parts of Gaza celebrated after Hamas announced its acceptance of the ceasefire agreement. Video shows people jumping up and down and cheering outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. Suze van Meegan, head of the Gaza refugee relief organization, said the so-called ceasefire initially sparked mass celebrations on the streets of Rafah, but then Israeli bombing, CNN said. "Not only does it add to the chaos, but it also makes people's emotions dragged along like a roller coaster." "People can no longer bear the ups and downs and uncertainty and wonder if they will be able to protect their children and families," she said. ”

Many parties have called on Israel to cease its actions

The joint statement on the situation in the Middle East between China and France said that as permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and France are committed to seeking constructive solutions based on international law to address challenges and threats to international security and stability. Both countries condemn all violations of international humanitarian law, including all acts of terrorist violence and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. The two countries reaffirm the absolute need to protect civilians in Gaza on the basis of international humanitarian law.

"Things are going in the wrong direction", UN Secretary-General Guterres said on the 7th that Israel's attack on Rafah "will be a strategic mistake, a political catastrophe and a humanitarian nightmare." EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said on the 7th that despite the clear warnings of the EU and the United States, Israel still insists on launching an attack on Rafah, which may cause more civilian casualties. "No matter what they say...... There is no safe zone in Gaza. He said. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day, saying that Israel's actions were deliberately intensifying the war.

The occupation of the Rafah crossing was seen as a precursor to a large-scale Israeli ground operation in the city. The Wall Street Journal said on the 7th that Israel had informed Egypt in advance of its plan to occupy the Gaza side of the Rafah port and assured that it would be a "targeted military operation". Egypt, in turn, warned Israel that any attempt to expand Israel's control over the Egyptian-Gaza border would not be tolerated.

According to the official Palestinian news agency, the Palestinian National Authority called on the United States on the 7th to "immediately intervene" to prevent Israel's invasion of Rafah. ▲