Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom says he is ‘very concerned' over Israeli tanks entering central Rafah
Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday called on Israel to “immediately halt military offensive” on Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, and to comply with International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders.
“The ICJ has urged Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah in light of its humanitarian consequences. The ruling is binding and Sweden and the EU urge Israel to comply with it,” Billstrom told Anadolu.
The minister's comments came as Israel continues with bombarding the southern Gaza's city which shelters hundreds of thousands of civilians, despite international condemnation.
On May 26, Israel launched an airstrike on a camp for displaced people in Rafah that killed at least 45 people, mostly women and children.
Israeli tanks have been seen in central Rafah for the first time this week, signaling a new phase of its brutal offensive in which more than 36,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 81,700 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities in Tel Aviv's war on Gaza.
“I am very concerned that Israeli tanks have reached the centre of Rafah. There is a great risk that this will lead to more civilian deaths and a deterioration in the humanitarian situation,” Billstrom warned.
On Wednesday, Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide also condemned Israeli attacks on Rafah, saying that the situation in the city is “catastrophic and unacceptable.”
“The development in Rafah is catastrophic and unacceptable. We have warned in the strongest possible terms against the consequences of an attack for the people of Rafah,” Eide said in a statement.
Eide called on the UN Security Council to take responsibility and act.
“I strongly encourage the security council to honor its responsibility and act. The situation is unbearable, the war must end,” he said.
Iceland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir on Tuesday called on Israel to comply with ICJ orders, demanding a cease-fire amid “serious civilian casualties” in Rafah.
Gylfadottir told Anadolu that she is “horrified by reports of serious civilian casualties in Rafah. These people had nowhere to go.”
“We call for compliance with ICJ orders, the release of all hostages, and for all parties to return to negotiations immediately. We need a ceasefire now.
“Those responsible for the cycle of revenge and violence also have the power to seek peace and stability,” she said.
Finish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen also said she was “devastated by news from Rafah on Israeli strikes killing dozens of civilians, including small children. “
“Finland has consistently urged Israel to refrain from attacking Rafah, with high numbers of displaced people. ICJ orders and int'l humanitarian law must be respected by all parties,” she said on X on Wednesday.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
On Tuesday, Norway, Spain, and Ireland have formally recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday in what Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a "historic decision."
