The leaders of New Zealand, Australia, and Canada declared that a ground invasion of Rafah would be “catastrophic” and called for a “immediate” humanitarian truce.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been given a strong warning by the international community to get ready for a ground invasion on the Gazan city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinian refugees have sought safety.

The three nations’ prime ministers issued a statement in which they expressed their extreme alarm about reports that Israel was preparing a ground invasion of Rafah. An armed incursion into Rafah would be disastrous.

There is an urgent need for a quick humanitarian ceasefire.

Mr. Netanyahu gave the military orders to evacuate residents in advance of the planned “powerful” attack on southern Gaza.

Mr. Netanyahu declared, “We will fight until we achieve total victory, and this includes a strong action also in Rafah after we let civilians to leave the battle zones.”

Israel was advised not to launch the offensive by Australian Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

They insisted that any truce must not be “one-sided,” though, and that Hamas would have to disarm in order to free the last of the prisoners.

The statement declared that “the security of civilians is essential and a requirement under humanitarian law worldwide.” “We cannot force Palestinian civilians to bear the cost of taking down Hamas.”

Rafah is thought to be home to 1.4 million Palestinians, who are jammed into tent camps, packed flats, and makeshift shelters after Israel gave them orders to relocate to the southern border when it launched an attack within the strip in October of last year.

Humanitarian aid has been transported into the Gaza Strip via the crossing point that borders Egypt and served as the final haven for survivors of Israel’s battle against Hamas.

Canada and World Leader on Gaza Situation

Palestinians are presently being relocated by Israeli forces to al-Mawasi, a “humanitarian zone” on the Mediterranean shore.

Among the international leaders who encouraged Mr. Netanyahu to abandon his intentions in Rafah was the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, who also informed him that the human cost of his war was “intolerable.”

Mr. Macron stated that an Israeli offensive in Rafah will only result in a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented proportions and that France is adamantly opposed to it.

The people within Rafah could not “simply vanish into thin air,” according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was in Israel at the time. They currently have nowhere to go.

The Israeli military has called for the evacuation of the last significant hospital in southern Gaza, and Khan Younis, another encircled city, has become the main objective of a rolling ground operation.

The leaders added that Israel was required by the International Court of Justice’s January decision in a South African genocide case to safeguard civilians and provide basic amenities and vital humanitarian relief.

According to the statement, protecting people is both essential and mandated by international humanitarian law. It is not acceptable to impose costs on Palestinian citizens in order to combat Hamas.

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