Israeli forces demolish residential buildings, service facilities, infrastructure networks across Rafah, says Ahmed al-Soufi
The Rafah mayor accused the Israeli army on Thursday of deliberately turning the southern Gaza city into an unlivable area.
"The Israeli forces are demolishing, bulldozing, and blowing up residential buildings, service facilities, and infrastructure networks across the city,” Ahmed al-Soufi said in a statement.
He said photos shared by Israeli soldiers “clearly show that their only goal in Rafah is sabotage.”
The mayor called Israel's hiring of private companies to demolish buildings in Rafah and move the rubble to unidentified destinations “a precedent in its genocidal war” on Gaza.
"Hiring these companies proves the existence of a premeditated plan being implemented by the Israeli forces to force residents to leave Rafah,” he said.
Al-Soufi appealed to international and human rights organizations to intervene “to stop this criminal plan and protect what remains of the city's buildings and facilities.”
The Israeli army captured Rafah in May despite international warnings, worsening the already catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the area.
Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed over 44,800 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year.
The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.
