التصنيف: أخبار

عواصم – وكالات:

قال مسؤول السياسة الخارجية للاتحاد الأوروبي: إن الهجوم الإسرائيلي على رفح من شأنه أن يؤدي لكارثة إنسانية لا توصف.

من جانبه شدد رئيس وكالة الأمم المتحدة لغوث وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين «الأونروا»، على ضرورة حصول المنظمة على تمويل جديد من الاتحاد الأوروبي في غضون أسابيع، نظرا لاستعدادات إسرائيل لشن هجوم بري على رفح، حيث لجأ العديد من المدنيين إليها.

وتواجه الأونروا مزاعم بمشاركة 12 من موظفيها، البالغ عددهم 13 ألفا في غزة، في هجمات حماس في 7 أكتوبر على جنوب إسرائيل. في هذه الأثناء أكد وزير الخارجية المصري سامح شكري، التزام بلاده باتفاقية السلام مع إسرائيل، مشيرا إلى أن مصر تبذل جهودا حثيثة من أجل الوصول إلى اتفاق هدنة في غزة. وقال في مؤتمر صحفي مشترك مع وزيرة خارجية سلوفينيا في العاصمة السلوفينية ليوبليانا ردا على سؤال بشأن تأثير التطورات في قطاع غزة على السلام مع إسرائيل: يوجد بالفعل اتفاقية سلام بين مصر وإسرائيل وهي سارية على مدار الأربعين عاما الماضية وسوف نستمر في هذا.. ونحن نتعامل بفعالية في هذا الأمر خلال هذه المرحلة».

ووصف وزير الخارجية المصري ما يحدث في غزة بأنه انتهاك للقانون الدولي، مجددا موقف بلاده الرافض لأي تهجير قسري لسكان قطاع غزة.

US and Belgian flags have been burned by protesters – who also set alight tyres as they targeted Western embassies in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds in central Kinshasa on Monday.

The demonstrators were angry at what they saw as Western support for neighbouring Rwanda after it was accused of backing a rebellion in the east of the DRC.

Rwanda has denied the claims, which came as the Tutsi-led rebel group M23 advanced and threatened the strategic city of Goma.

But the DRC, Western governments including the US and Belgium, and a UN expert group say M23 benefits from Rwandan support.

The armed rebels in the east of the country have committed unlawful killings, rape, and other apparent war crimes since late 2022, according to Human Rights Watch.

On Monday, protesters gathered at the US and French embassies, and the offices of the UN mission, despite security being increased after UN staff and vehicles were attacked on Saturday.

Some people threw stones and tried to break CCTV cameras at one of the US embassy offices, while others chanted: “Leave our country, we don’t want your hypocrisy”.

“The international community remains silent while Congolese are being killed; they finance Rwanda,” said motorcyclist Fabrice Malumba, who took part in the demonstration in front of the US embassy.

“The Westerners are behind the looting of our country, Rwanda doesn’t work alone, so they must leave our country,” said Pepin Mbindu, who also joined the protest.

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Elsewhere, a demonstrator reportedly removed an EU flag from the entrance of a large hotel in the city centre.

The DRC’s vice prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Christophe Lutundula has met ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Kinshasa, and later said security measures would be taken to protect their buildings.

Decades of conflicts in the eastern DRC between rival armed groups over land and resources, and attacks on civilians, have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than seven million.

A young girl living in Rafah has told Sky News an Israeli ground offensive in her city could be a modern-day massacre.

Daiana Albukhari showed Sky News around a small area of a school she is staying in with her family, alongside many others.

Her space – which she shares with five other members of her family – includes a bed, made from a few blankets and pillows, and some shelves.

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Pre-packed bags have been put within easy reach in case the area is attacked.

“There is no electricity, no food, no clean water. You have to queue for hours to take a shower or to use the toilet,” she said.

She explained that people within the shelter are anticipating an Israeli ground attack soon – something Israel has signalled may take place.

The Israel Defence Forces has said Rafah is home to the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that sending ground troops into Rafah is essential to meeting its war goals – however, Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, has called for Israel to “stop and think seriously” before taking further action.

In the US, President Biden has also warned Israel not to conduct a military operation in the Gaza border town without a “credible and executable plan to protect civilians”.

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Daiana said: “We are expecting Israeli forces to come to Rafah very soon, and people here are so depressed,” Daiana said.

“People are saying it is going to be the next modern century massacre, or they are going to take us to Egypt. People don’t want to go to Egypt.

“The sounds of bombing is non-stop and it is getting nearer every day.”

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In a message to governments around the world, she warned a massacre is “near” and urged for them to do something to help.

“To all free people, what else do you want to see to stop this, do you want to see Israeli tanks stepping on our bodies?” she asked.

“If the world wanted to stop this, it would stop.”

You can watch Daiana’s full video diary at 9pm on The World with Yalda Hakim programme.