Abbas says Israel plan for Rafah assault aims to drive Palestinians from Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting in the Occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on October 24, 2023 [Christophe Ena/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

The office of Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said on Friday a plan announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a military escalation in Rafah at the southern edge of the Gaza Strip aims to drive Palestinians from their land, Reuters reports.

The office of Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority that exerts partial self-rule in the Israeli Occupied West Bank, said it holds both the Israeli government and the US administration responsible for the plan’s repercussions.

The Palestinian Presidency called on the UN Security Council to take heed, “because (Israel) taking this step threatens security and peace in the region and the world. It crosses all red lines,” the statement said.

READ: Israel PM orders evacuation of Rafah ahead of ground assault

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