Condemns Israeli Attack On Rafah And Criticism Of PM Netanyahu's Statement, Hamas Spokesperson: There Is No Safe Place In Gaza

Israeli soldiers in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Palestinian authorities criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement, saying there was no longer a safe place in Gaza, as Israel launched an attack on Rafah City.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokeswoman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, called on the international community to stop Israel's ground attack on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, saying "US governments must not be held hostage by Israeli policy."

The spokesman lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said in an NBC interview broadcast on Sunday, operations in Rafah would continue "while providing a safe way for civilians, so they could evacuate."

Netanyahu's statement is "absolute nonsense" and "fraud to the world," Abu Rudeineh said, as reported by The Times of Israel on February 12.

"Because there is no longer a safe place in the Gaza Strip, civilians cannot return (to their homes) in the middle and north of the Gaza Strip, amid ongoing bombings," he explained.

"This area is at a crossroads, and the continuation of the war against the Palestinian people will lead to an expansion of the region," Abu Rudeineh added.

As previously reported, a joint operation by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel's domestic security service Shin Bet and the Special Police Unit in Rafah released Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Hare (70) Israeli military said. The military said the two were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, in good condition and taken to the Tel Hashomer Medical Complex (Sheba Medical Center).

Joint operations by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel's domestic security service Shin Bet and the Special Police Unit in Rafah released Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Hare (70) Israeli military said. The military said the two were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, in good condition and taken to the Tel Hashomer Medical Complex (Sheba Medical Center).

"It was a very complex operation," said Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht.

The hostages were detained on the second floor of a building that was burglarized with explosives during the raid, which caused heavy gunfire with surrounding buildings, Hecht said.

"We have been preparing this operation for a long time. We are waiting for the right conditions," he continued.

At the same time, he continued, airstrikes were carried out to allow troops to be withdrawn from the site of operation.

Israel's attack on Rafah came a day after President Biden made a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirming his stance that the Israeli military should not continue ground attacks on the Rafah "without credible and executable plans" to ensure the safety of civilians.

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza told CNN that at least 94 people died as a result of an Israeli attack on Rafah City.

The ministry also said it was still in the process of taking and identifying bodies, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Previously, the Palestinian Red Crescent said more than 100 people had died as a result of last night's attack on Rafah. PRCS added that there are still many people trapped under the rubble and the death toll may increase.

It is known that the Ministry of Health in Gaza only updated the death toll after the body was identified, making the difference with the number reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.