Borrell: Rafah operation will cause a lot of casualties

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated on Tuesday that Israel began its offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza “despite all the requests of the international community.”

“I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties, whatever they say,” Borrell said, declining Israel’s claims that Palestinians can move to “safe zones.” He added that he does not “see any reason” not to restart funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in full, as all member states have reaffirmed their support for the agency after a UN report did not find links to Hamas. He said the EU should also allocate funds to the Palestinian Authority.