Trudeau raises concern over Israel's planned Rafah offensive

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday expressed concern around Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a call with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, Trudeau's office said in a statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday expressed concern around Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a call with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, Trudeau's office said in a statement. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to push into Rafah in Gaza's southern tip, where more than half of the territory's 2.3 million residents have been sheltering to escape an Israeli assault farther north. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Netanyahu on Monday that an Israeli military operation in Rafah would deepen anarchy in Gaza and they agreed that teams from each side would meet in Washington to discuss it, according to the White House.

KEY QUOTES "The Prime Minister shared his concern around Israel's planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the severe humanitarian implications for all civilians taking refuge in the area," Trudeau's office said in a statement.

"He underscored the need to increase the volume of life-saving humanitarian aid for civilians and to ensure aid reaches all those in need, safely and without delay." CONTEXT

Israel's military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has displaced nearly its entire population, caused a starvation crisis, flattened most of the enclave, and killed over 31,000 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, while also leading to accusations of genocide being probed in the World Court. Extreme food shortages in parts of Gaza have exceeded famine levels, and mass death is now imminent without an immediate ceasefire and surge of food to areas cut off by fighting, the global hunger monitor said on Monday.

Israel denies the genocide charges and says it is acting in self defense after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel from Palestinian Islamist Hamas fighters that killed some 1,200, according to Israeli tallies.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)