Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has stated that the cabinet will meet immediately to discuss sanctions for Israel should the country go through with its planned land attack on Rafah in Gaza.
What exactly these sanctions will entail is not clear, but one thing is certain: An attack on Rafah will have major “political consequences,” Rutte says.
As the NOS reports, the prime minister has also passed this message on to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Big concerns about the humanitarian situation
According to Rutte, a possible attack on the strip of land could be a “game changer” that will cause a humanitarian disaster. He has expressed major concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
So far, the Netherlands has supported Israel in the fight against Hamas and only taken “small steps” against them. Now, they expect a big step from Israel: refraining from launching a ground assault on Rafah.
Yet, as RTL Nieuws reports, Netanyahu stressed just three days ago, on 17 March, that “no international pressure” will stop Israel from carrying out the operation in Rafah.
What’s going on in Rafah?
Rafah is the southernmost point of the Gaza Strip, located at the border between Gaza and Egypt.
There are currently over a million Palestinian civilians trapped here, who have been driven into the city by Israeli bombings. They have nowhere to go in case of a ground offensive.
So, why does Israel want to attack? Well, according to Israel, four Hamas brigades are present within Rafah — which they view as sufficient to justify the ongoing airstrikes as well as a planned land assault.
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