Israel’s Rafah offensive: ‘Gaza will become uninhabitable’, NGO says • FRANCE 24 English

founder and director of the NGO forward thinking thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today what’s your level of optimism going into these talks I’m afraid not high and I wish it were first and foremost for the 2.3 million people in Gaz and of course the hostages and their families but it worries me when we get such um ex Expressions as we heard from Anthony blinkin thinking that after six months it can suddenly be resolved and it’s down to one party I think there are insurmountable at present obstacles if one side is saying look um we need a permanent ceasefire we’ll only agree if we have a permanent ceasefire and the other side in the person of the Prime Minister Netanyahu is saying well I’m determined to go to Raa and finish the job it it it it I it’s very very difficult to see where this will lead to an agreement that will protect and save more lives in that case why do you think that we’re hearing these this sort of optimistic messaging and even you know positivity coming from Hamas well we’ve been hearing optimistic messages from the start um I understand that aasa’s optimism was that Israel did concede on allowing the the people from the that now are refugees in the South um to return to their neighborhoods in the north and in principle they agreed to withdrawal from the um areas they are occupying a present in Gaza withdraw the troops but I understand the details of those two um propositions have to be worked out and um that that can take time but for me unless there is and I’m calling for a permanent ceasefire first and foremost for the hostages the families and equally for the the 2.3 million people whose lives are changed irrevocably we’ve thought for the sake of humanity for the sake of them to have a ceasefire and it it it’s just basic sense to me Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has vowed to push ahead with an assault on Rafa regardless of the outcome ceasefire or no ceasefire what do you make of those threats and what consequences would it have both you know on Gins and also for the hostages well I think to make those threats while you’re at the same time saying that you’re seriously negotiating for the releases of the hostages I don’t think is very responsible to be quite honest I think it’s posturing publicly the consequences of a um ground assault on Rafa and presumably with shelling and bombing from the air as well will leave Rafa in a devastated State like the rest of Gaza so in effect Gaza will become uninhabitable in the sense the whole infrastructure of the Gaza Strip will have been destroyed and what we then are faced with are people going to be forced to to migrate or are we going to see for some time to come a whole um population of Gaza living in tense cities what do you make of the fact that the CIA director is participating in these talks in Cairo today what what role is the US playing at this point well it’s good that he is there he’s an experienced Diplomat and I hope he will bring some sort of um balance and and try and Achieve what could be done but again unless America that throws itself behind a permanent ceasefire forget who wins and who loses there are no winners in this war now too many people have died too many people have suffered I think we have to realize that and what for the sake of everyone what is needed is to stop the fighting now my hope would be that Bill Burns will bring that message to the table and it’ll be heard by Hamas and it’ll be heard by Israel and that you know know some sort of human um response will be made and we’ll start rebuilding the lives of the people in Gaza as well as the lives of the hostages and their families I’m also curious about your thoughts on the campus protest movements we’ve seen in the US and and elsewhere do you think that they’ve had any productive impact on negotiations I don’t think so you know in my experience in these types of negotiations outside pressure doesn’t help it actually outside pressure stiffens resistance it doesn’t actually I think lead constructively to reaching an agreement that’s durable and that both sides can live with um it it’s good though I think to see young people coming out and taking a stand because I I keep coming back to there are no winners or losers in this war now it is a question we’re all losing because the Norms of our rule-based International order that governed relationships for the past 75 years that seems to be just torn up now and what I really worry about is the future of our not just International relationships but our human relationships if we lose a sense of our Humanity as it seems we are in Gaza then we have problems ahead well hopefully negotiators will keep all of that in mind and we will see progress even though as you say there’s not a lot of Hope for optimism Oliver murnan thank you again so much for speaking to us today

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to launch a ground assault in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah despite ongoing truce talks with Hamas. If Israeli ground forces invade Rafah, “Gaza will become uninhabitable in the sense that the whole infrastructure of the Gaza Strip would have been destroyed,” warned Oliver Mcternan, director of NGO Forward Thinking. “We’ve got, for the sake of humanity, to have a ceasefire,” he said.
#Israel #Rafah #Gaza

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24 comments

  2. If Hamas doesn't agree to a ceasefire this time, after rejecting every one for months on end now, all of which Israel has agreed to, then, as Anthony Blinken said, the responsibility will be totally on Hamas. That includes any future civilian casualties. Why is Hamas being more optimistic? Mostly because Israel is finally giving them a deadline, something they should have done long ago. They only respond to military pressure, they don't give a whit about Gazan civilians, only saving themselves. The commentator is clearly mistaken when he says that Israel's threats aren't helpful, au contraire, that's what's finally bringing Hamas to the table.

  5. Nobody ever puts this much effort into ending a conflict in most wars that have happened. The bias is exhausting at this point. The IDF are coming for Hamas and Mossad is coming for their leadership.

  12. History proofs: You can not talk with terrorists, they never keep promises. Hostages are probably not alive. And if you worry so much about innocent people life,how come Muslim countries did not except refugees. During the War innocent people die ,do you want to help them ,Ooffer hospitality for poor Palestinians

  15. How world can allow a single country to maintain an illegal blockade for another for over 16 years in a such inhuman ways 🤔🤔

  21. Was very little pressure if any on Hamas. From the very beginning Israel said will be an imediat ceasefire if hostages are released and Hamas put the arms down. Everyone seems to forget / ignore this.

  23. Palestinians blatantly discriminate against Asians.
    But they are very keen to get money from Japan , Japanese are asian though.
    Its very strange.

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