Abbas: Only the United States Can Prevent Israel's 'Imminent' Attack on Rafah

Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, stated on Sunday, April 28, that only the United States can prevent Israel from carrying out an attack on Rafah in the 'coming days.' Speaking at a special session of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abbas urged the United States to stop Israel from committing this 'crime.' Israel has announced weeks ago that it plans to attack Rafah to rescue the remaining hostages held by Hamas and to eliminate the remaining Hamas brigades hiding among civilians in Rafah. Concurrently, Israeli airstrikes on Rafah have intensified in recent days. Western countries, led by the United States, have urged Israel to refrain from attacking this city, which is located on the border between Gaza and Egypt and houses about one million war refugees from other areas of Gaza. Mahmoud Abbas warned at the World Economic Forum that an Israeli attack on Rafah in the 'coming days' could lead to the 'greatest catastrophe' in Palestinian history. The Palestinian Authority President strongly opposed what he termed the relocation of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt. He expressed concern that after the Israeli operations in Gaza, Palestinians living in the West Bank might also be driven into Jordan. Following Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 others, Israel launched its offensive in Gaza aimed at destroying this Iran-backed Islamist group and recovering the hostages. During negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt last fall, over 100 kidnapped hostages were released. There are still 133 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and Israel believes that at least 20 of them may have died. Hamas officials have repeatedly stated that they would carry out similar attacks if possible since the October 7 attack. Hamas claims that over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and about 75,000 others injured as a result of the Israeli offensive, without specifying the number of its own members killed. The Persian section of Voice of America cannot independently verify or confirm the figures provided by Hamas. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. The U.S. Secretary of State is on his way to the Middle East; Blinken will arrive in Riyadh on May 1. Hamas has released new footage of two Israeli hostages. Hamas is considering a new ceasefire proposal from Israel. Mahmoud Abbas will meet with the U.S. Secretary of State and some regional leaders in Riyadh. Preparations for a ground operation in Rafah; Israel has increased its airstrikes. A joint statement from 18 countries: Hamas must release the hostages.