Israel killed 20 Palestinians in Rafah since ceasefire

A government committee in the Gaza Strip yesterday announced that more than 20 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and others were injured in Rafah, while occupation forces have raided the central and western areas of the city since the ceasefire agreement went into effect on 19 January.

The Central Emergency Committee in Rafah issued a statement saying that it observed several serious violations and crimes by the Israeli occupation army since the announcement of the ceasefire agreement 34 days ago.

It added that the Israeli occupation forces killed more than 20 Palestinians in Rafah and injured and arrested many others since the ceasefire agreement came into force, in addition to the ongoing ground invasion into areas in central and western Rafah, with tanks entering the area.

The committee called on the mediators to “uphold their responsibilities by reining in the Israeli enemy, forcing it to implement the terms of the agreement and stop its violations, which are a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

The committee reiterated the need to force Israel to bring in the heavy equipment required to work on removing the rubble to recover the bodies of Palestinians from under the destroyed houses, and to clear the streets and squares to facilitate the return of citizens and restore life to the city.

It pointed out that the Israeli destruction has affected all aspects of life in the Rafah Governorate, which was subjected to a ground invasion for about nine months during the genocidal war on Gaza.

Since the agreement came into effect, Israel has killed 92 Palestinians and injured 822 others through direct targeting, as of 11 February, according to a statement by the Gaza Health Ministry Director General, Munir Al-Barash.

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