A statement from the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of the escalating and serious repercussions of the continued indiscriminate aggression by Israeli forces on Gaza, now targeting an invasion and assault on Rafah.

The Omani Foreign Ministry added that Rafah now shelters hundreds of thousands of isolated Palestinian civilians displaced from the northern Gaza Strip due to this brutal aggression.

The Omani Foreign Ministry reiterated the Sultanate’s firm rejection of this, urging the international community to take tangible measures to deter Israel from its arrogance and compel it to cease fire and open crossings to deliver humanitarian aid to the population and displaced persons throughout the Gaza Strip.

It also demanded that the occupying authorities be held fully responsible for the catastrophic effects of targeting civilians, property, and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

This Omani stance comes amidst fears and warnings of a possible Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, which threatens to exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

#بيان || حذرت وزارة الخارجية من التداعيات المتفاقمة والخطيرة لاستمرار قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في عدوانها العشوائي على قطاع غزة وتوجهها الآن نحو اقتحام واستهداف مدينة #رفح التي باتت تؤوي مئات الآلاف من المدنيين الفلسطينيين العزّل النازحين من شمال القطاع جرّاء هذا العدوان الغاشم pic.twitter.com/zMY3bVKwG6

— وزارة الخارجية (@FMofOman) February 11, 2024

A Catastrophic Situation in Rafah

In this context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated that the potential Israeli military attack on Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, is a “catastrophe.”

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, stated in a post on UNRWA’s “Ex” platform: “Many residents of Rafah, numbering 1.4 million, live in temporary plastic shelters on the streets… I no longer have words to describe the situation.”

Unimaginable Suffering in Rafah

Additionally, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Martin Griffiths, reported that the suffering of the residents of Rafah is unimaginable.

He added that over a million residents of Rafah have nowhere to go, emphasizing that the suffering of Rafah’s residents is beyond imagination.

Netanyahu Orders Reserve Troops Mobilization

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the mobilization of reserve troops in preparation for a ground military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu requested that Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Aviv Kochavi, mobilize reserve troops for a military operation in Rafah.

Israeli Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu requested Kochavi to reassemble the discharged reserve forces in preparation for the potential operation by the Israeli army in Rafah.

In Rafah southern #Gaza, there are 1.4 million people – tens of kilometres of people living in the streets in plastic makeshift shelters.

A military offensive in the middle of these completely exposed, vulnerable people is a recipe for disaster. I am almost becoming wordless.…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 10, 2024

The channel cited sources saying that the army has been awaiting political approval for about two weeks to launch the attack on Rafah.

Kochavi stated that the army would be able to handle any task, but there are political aspects that must be addressed first.

Channel 13 reported clashes between Netanyahu and the Chief of Staff regarding the Rafah operation. It added that Netanyahu intends to hold the security establishment responsible for the delay in the military operation in Rafah.

A senior Israeli official told the same channel that “the operation in Rafah is approaching.”

International estimates indicate that there are between 1.2 and 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah after the Israeli army forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the north of the Gaza Strip to evacuate to the south.