Rafah Operation Could Be a ‘Slaughter’, Warns UN Official

A young boy looks on as relatives of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing, mourn near their corpses in the yard of the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
A young boy looks on as relatives of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing, mourn near their corpses in the yard of the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
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Rafah Operation Could Be a ‘Slaughter’, Warns UN Official

A young boy looks on as relatives of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing, mourn near their corpses in the yard of the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
A young boy looks on as relatives of Palestinians killed in Israeli bombing, mourn near their corpses in the yard of the al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)

An Israeli incursion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and be a huge blow to the humanitarian operations of the entire enclave, the UN humanitarian office said on Friday.

Israel has warned of an operation against Hamas in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where around a million displaced people are crowded together in shelters and makeshift accommodation, having fled months of Israeli bombardments triggered by Hamas fighters' deadly cross-border attack on Oct. 7.

"It could be a slaughter of civilians and an incredible blow to the humanitarian operation in the entire strip because it is run primarily out of Rafah," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, at a Geneva press briefing.

Aid operations run from Rafah included medical clinics and food distribution points, including centers for malnourished children, he said.

A World Health Organization official said at the same briefing that a contingency plan for an incursion had been prepared, which included a new field hospital, but said it would not be enough to prevent a substantial rise in the death toll.

"I want to really say that this contingency plan is a band-aid," said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory via video link. "It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity posed by a military operation."

He added that he was "extremely concerned" that any incursion would close the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt which is currently being used to import medical supplies. 



Hamas Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Iran Has No Role in Gaza War Negotiations

This picture, taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
This picture, taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
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Hamas Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Iran Has No Role in Gaza War Negotiations

This picture, taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)
This picture, taken from a position on the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, shows destroyed buildings in the besieged Palestinian territory on June 11, 2025. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP)

US President Donald Trump surprised many parties after announcing on Monday that Iran was involved in negotiations aimed at arranging a ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Hamas.

"Gaza right now is in the midst of a massive negotiation between us and Hamas and Israel, and Iran actually is involved, and we'll see what's going to happen with Gaza. We want to get the hostages back," Trump said.

The United States has proposed a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Israel said it would abide by the terms but Hamas thus far has rejected the plan.

Under the proposal 28 Israeli hostages - alive and dead - would be released in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.

The United States and Iran are also separately trying to negotiate a deal on Tehran's nuclear program.

Despite Trump’s claims on Monday, Hamas sources denied Iran having a role in the negotiations aimed at ending the war in the Gaza Strip.

A senior Hamas official, who was not identified, told Asharq Al-Awsat that "Iran has not intervened directly in the negotiations in any way, nor has it asked the (Palestinian) movement to make any concessions or exerted pressure on it."

The source explained that Iran’s connection to the negotiations is "primarily related to following up on the negotiations, by being informed about whether an agreement is near, without being involved in further details."

The source also stressed that the information shared with Iran is also shared with "some countries and Palestinian factions, including Fatah at times, especially when there are serious steps that could lead to a near agreement."

Other Hamas sources also denied any Iranian role in the negotiations, saying "Tehran does not have close relations with Israel or the United States that would allow it to intervene, despite the ongoing (nuclear) negotiations between it and the US administration."

When Asharq Al-Awsat asked several Hamas sources whether the United States had asked Iran to pressure the movement to change its positions, the sources unanimously responded that they "had no knowledge of such a matter."

Israeli sources have also been quick to deny any Iranian role in the negotiations to end the Gaza war, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.