Men walk along a street ravaged by Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 9, 2024. (Photo by Mohammed ABED / AFP)
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Israel's planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah would cause a "humanitarian catastrophe" and called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.
The kingdom "warned of the extremely dangerous repercussions of storming and targeting" Rafah and affirmed its "categorical rejection and strong condemnation of their forced deportation", in a foreign ministry statement carried by state media.
"This continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law confirms the necessity of convening the Security Council urgently to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe," the statement added.
More than one million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the city in Gaza's far south, many sheltering in tents pushed up against the border with Egypt and the sea.
The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the move "threatens security and peace in the region in the world" and is "a blatant violation of all red lines".
