Palestine Finalizes USD30 Million Grant Agreement With World Bank

A Palestinian vendor sells sweets along the beach in a warm weather in Gaza City July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A Palestinian vendor sells sweets along the beach in a warm weather in Gaza City July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
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Palestine Finalizes USD30 Million Grant Agreement With World Bank

A Palestinian vendor sells sweets along the beach in a warm weather in Gaza City July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
A Palestinian vendor sells sweets along the beach in a warm weather in Gaza City July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

The Palestinian government finalized on Thursday a USD30 million grant agreement with the World Bank for vulnerable citizens affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that USD6 million will be allocated for families in need via the Social Development Ministry. He said USD13.9 million will be earmarked for laborers through the Labor Ministry.

Some 68,000 workers, rendered jobless due to the virus outbreak, will benefit from the financial assistance.

Meanwhile, the premier added that USD10 million will be allotted to the temporary employment program, which will be implemented by 10 Palestinian institutions to serve 3,100 families.

Kanthan Shankar, Country Director for West Bank and Gaza, expressed gratitude towards the World Bank's support in this critical time to the vulnerable. Although the need is greater than the support, yet this is an initial responsive mechanism, he added.



Tunisia Closes Crossing with Libya Amid Clashes on Libyan Side, State Radio Says 

Vehicles are seen at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Libya. (Libya’s Government of National Unity's Interior Ministry file photo)
Vehicles are seen at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Libya. (Libya’s Government of National Unity's Interior Ministry file photo)
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Tunisia Closes Crossing with Libya Amid Clashes on Libyan Side, State Radio Says 

Vehicles are seen at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Libya. (Libya’s Government of National Unity's Interior Ministry file photo)
Vehicles are seen at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Libya. (Libya’s Government of National Unity's Interior Ministry file photo)

Tunisia temporarily closed the Ras Jdir border crossing with Libya for security reasons amid armed clashes on the Libyan side, Tunisian state media said late on Monday.

Video footage has been circulated on social media showing a burning vehicle at Ras Jdir, accompanied by the sound of shooting and people running.

The interior ministry of the government of national unity in Tripoli was not immediately available for comment.

The ministry said on Sunday that it had deployed law enforcement to take control of the crossing to “combat smuggling and control security violations in order to maintain security and manage the movement of passengers between Libya and Tunisia”.

Tunisian Tataouine Radio said that Tunisia closed the crossing to preserve the safety of citizens going to Libya. Stranded people from the Libyan side were allowed to enter before the crossing closed.

Libya has had little peace since a 2011 uprising, and it split in 2014 between eastern and western factions, with rival administrations governing each area.


Egypt Stresses Rejection of External Interference that Hinders Solution to Sudanese Crisis

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry meets US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello in Cairo. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry meets US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello in Cairo. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt Stresses Rejection of External Interference that Hinders Solution to Sudanese Crisis

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry meets US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello in Cairo. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry meets US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello in Cairo. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of dealing with the conflict in Sudan as a “purely Sudanese matter,” rejecting the interference of any external parties in the crisis that “hinders efforts to contain it.”

He made his remarks on Monday during a meeting with the US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, who is visiting Cairo as part of a regional tour aimed at discussing means to end the crisis in Sudan, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Shoukry briefed the newly appointed envoy on Egyptian contacts with the various Sudanese parties, and the diplomatic efforts the country has made with international and regional powers and UN and international organizations on the need to stop the escalation, reach a sustainable ceasefire agreement, and preserve the cohesion of the state and Sudan’s social fabric.

Egypt has also urged the international community to provide immediate humanitarian and medical assistance to meet the needs of the Sudanese people, according to the foreign minister.

Shoukry stressed that any future political process must include all active national actors on the Sudanese internal scene, provided that it takes place within the framework of the principles of respecting Sudan’s sovereignty, the unity and integrity of its territory, non-interference in its internal affairs, preserving the state and its institutions, and preventing its disintegration.

The Foreign Ministry statement quoted the US envoy as highlighting the importance of Egypt’s influence in the region, and the centrality of its role in any future solution to the Sudanese crisis.

The two sides agreed to maintain consultation and coordination between their countries during the next stage.


US Military Says It Destroys Houthi Missiles and Drones

Newly recruited Houthi members take part in a parade amid tensions with the US-led coalition in the Red Sea, in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
Newly recruited Houthi members take part in a parade amid tensions with the US-led coalition in the Red Sea, in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
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US Military Says It Destroys Houthi Missiles and Drones

Newly recruited Houthi members take part in a parade amid tensions with the US-led coalition in the Red Sea, in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 March 2024. (EPA)
Newly recruited Houthi members take part in a parade amid tensions with the US-led coalition in the Red Sea, in Sanaa, Yemen, 09 March 2024. (EPA)

The US military said on Monday it destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three drones and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense.

"It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region," the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on the social media site X.

"These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," it stressed.

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have attacked ships since November, saying they want to force Israel to end its war in the Gaza Strip against Hamas.

The ships targeted by the Houthis, however, largely have had little or no connection to Israel, the US or other nations involved in the war. The militias have also fired missiles toward Israel, though they have largely fallen short or been intercepted.


Israeli Airstrikes Target Damascus Countryside, Syria Says 

Smoke rises from a past Israeli strike on the Damascus suburbs. (Reuters file photo)
Smoke rises from a past Israeli strike on the Damascus suburbs. (Reuters file photo)
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Israeli Airstrikes Target Damascus Countryside, Syria Says 

Smoke rises from a past Israeli strike on the Damascus suburbs. (Reuters file photo)
Smoke rises from a past Israeli strike on the Damascus suburbs. (Reuters file photo)

Israel early on Tuesday launched missiles at several military targets outside the Syrian capital Damascus resulting in some "material damage," Syria's defense ministry said.

Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli "missiles and shot down some of them," the ministry added in a statement.

Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's nearly 12-year-old conflict. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power.

Those strikes have ramped up in line with flaring regional tensions since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, with more than half a dozen Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers killed in suspected Israeli strikes on Syria since December.

As a result, the Guards have scaled back deployment of their senior officers in Syria and have planned to rely more on allied Shiite militia to preserve their sway there, Reuters reported in February.


Shtayyeh Warns of Gaza Sea Corridor Becoming Means to Displace Palestinians

Food aid near the shores of Gaza (AP)
Food aid near the shores of Gaza (AP)
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Shtayyeh Warns of Gaza Sea Corridor Becoming Means to Displace Palestinians

Food aid near the shores of Gaza (AP)
Food aid near the shores of Gaza (AP)

The head of the Palestinian caretaker government, Mohammad Shtayyeh, warned on Monday that the sea corridor designated for delivering aid to the Gaza Strip could turn into a channel for Palestinian displacement.

Speaking during a Cabinet session, he said: “We do not accept any foreign presence on the land of Gaza, regardless of its nationality, in a way that imposes on us a new reality.”

He called for “international protection forces for our people and for all Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, under the flag and umbrella of the United Nations.”

Shtayyeh’s statements came as Israel refuses to hand over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority after the war ends, stressing that it will “maintain security control there,” while also considering assigning aid management to tribes and other parties, including “international security companies.”

NBC had quoted US officials as saying that Israel was considering contracting with private international security companies to secure the delivery of aid in Gaza.

Insufficient aid in the Gaza Strip led several countries to organize airdrops for residents, before a sea corridor was opened from Cyprus, followed by the announcement by US President Joe Biden of the construction of a “temporary dock” in Gaza to bring in “massive aid.”

But Shtayyeh warned of the seaway “turning from a crossing point for bringing in bread, into a way out for displacing citizens, despite some reassurances about that.”

Speaking “for the sake of humanity, democracy and international law,” Shtayyeh said that the world should take immediate action to stop “the suffering of the people of Gaza.”

“After 164 days of killing, are you unable to stop the aggression, or are you complicit in it?! Stop your weapons for Israel, we are the victims, our people are the victims, and whoever supports the criminal is an accomplice in the crime,” he underlined.


Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party Says It Will Boycott Parliamentary Election 

Members of the Peshmerga are seen on the outskirts of Kirkuk with a poster of Masoud Barzani in the background. (EPA file photo)
Members of the Peshmerga are seen on the outskirts of Kirkuk with a poster of Masoud Barzani in the background. (EPA file photo)
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Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party Says It Will Boycott Parliamentary Election 

Members of the Peshmerga are seen on the outskirts of Kirkuk with a poster of Masoud Barzani in the background. (EPA file photo)
Members of the Peshmerga are seen on the outskirts of Kirkuk with a poster of Masoud Barzani in the background. (EPA file photo)

The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said on Monday it would boycott a parliamentary election in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq scheduled to be held in June in protest over a ruling issued by the federal supreme court.

The northern region's dominant KDP, which is headed by Masoud Barzani, said in a statement that Iraq’s federal court had violated the constitution and undermined regional authorities following a ruling in February that amended the Kurdish region's election law.

Iraq's federal supreme court ruled to cancel 11 seats reserved for minority groups, reducing the number of regional parliament seats to 100.

The February ruling also changed the electoral system to divide the Kurdistan region into four constituencies instead of the single-constituency system adopted in the previous elections in 2018, prompting the KDP to reject it as unconstitutional.

The federal court ruling also gave authority to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to organize and oversee regional elections instead of the Kurdish regional election commission.

The ruling by the federal court came after a lawsuit by KDP's historic rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), according to a court document seen by Reuters and the party's lawyers.

A prominent member of the KDP told Asharq Al-Awsat that the boycott decision was taken after the party “realized that the federal supreme court had become a political player.”

He hoped that the move would “succeed in addressing the unconstitutional standing of this court and remove its legitimacy before we slip into a more centralized system.”

He warned that the boycott could lead to the postponement of the elections, through intra-Kurdish agreement, urging “Shiite and Sunni partners to amend the path taken by the court.”

The KDP has for month accused the federal supreme court of yielding to political agendas of some influential Shiite forces. It charges that the majority of its rulings against Kurdistan are politically motivated against the region’s constitutional standing.

US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski expressed concern over the KDP decision to boycott the elections.

“We are concerned by KDP’s announcement to boycott the Iraqi Kurdistan Region elections. We urge the Government of Iraq & the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure that elections are free, fair, transparent, & credible.” Romanowski said on social media platform X on Monday.

The PUK is committed to holding Kurdistan parliamentary elections on June 10, PUK spokesman Saadi Ahmed said in a statement following the PDK decision.


UN Security Council Demands Immediate End to Houthi Attacks on Ships in Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb

A Houthi member mans a machine gun on a vehicle while on patrol in Sanaa, Yemen, 10 March 2024. (EPA)
A Houthi member mans a machine gun on a vehicle while on patrol in Sanaa, Yemen, 10 March 2024. (EPA)
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UN Security Council Demands Immediate End to Houthi Attacks on Ships in Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb

A Houthi member mans a machine gun on a vehicle while on patrol in Sanaa, Yemen, 10 March 2024. (EPA)
A Houthi member mans a machine gun on a vehicle while on patrol in Sanaa, Yemen, 10 March 2024. (EPA)

The United Nations Security Council demanded on Monday that the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen “cease immediately” their attacks on commercial and merchant vessels traversing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in line with international law and consistent with resolution 2722 (2024).

In a statement, the Council members stressed the importance of the full implementation of resolution 2216 (2015) and subsequent resolutions.

They called for “practical cooperation, including with the government of Yemen, to prevent the Houthis from acquiring the arms and related materiel necessary to carry out further attacks and reiterated that all Member States must adhere to their obligations in regard to the targeted arms embargo.”

The members of the Security Council “condemned in the strongest terms” Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, including the March 6 attack on the MV True Confidence, which resulted in the deaths of two Filipino sailors and one Vietnamese sailor and injuries to at least four other seafarers.

They also condemned the February 18 attack on the MV Rubymar, which subsequently sank on March 2 as a result of damage from the attack. They “took note of the negative impacts of these attacks and emphasized that the sunken vessel poses a navigational hazard to ships transiting the area.”

The members demanded the immediate release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its crew, who have now been unlawfully detained for more than 100 days.

They underscored the importance of the Red Sea maritime route for humanitarian efforts in Yemen and beyond, as well as for the local fishing industry supporting Yemeni livelihoods.

The members stressed that the “exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels of all States transiting the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, in accordance with international law, must be respected.”

“Towards that end, the Council members warned against the impact of the March 4 Houthi decision purporting to require ships obtain a permit from their ‘Maritime Affairs Authority’ before entering Yemeni waters on the freedom of commercial navigation and humanitarian operations, including into Yemen,” it continued.

The members underlined the importance of boosting international and regional cooperation “to counter threats to peace and security in the region and called for a de-escalation in the Red Sea to preserve the peace process in Yemen.”

Furthermore, they “commended the efforts of the government of Yemen to preserve the maritime environment and called on all Member States, organizations, and agencies to support its efforts.”

The members further called for “continued international involvement in close cooperation with the United Nations and coastal States, as well as with regional and subregional organizations to prevent further escalation with possible multidimensional consequences.”

Moreover, they emphasized the need “to prevent further regional spillover of the conflict and its impact on the security and the stability of the region and beyond, and in this regard, reiterated the necessity to address the root causes contributing to regional tensions and to the disruption of maritime security.”

“Finally, the Council members urged caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the broader region and encouraged enhanced diplomatic efforts by all parties to that end, including continued support for dialogue and Yemen’s peace process under UN auspices,” it added.


UNRWA Chief Says Israel Blocks Him from Gaza

 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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UNRWA Chief Says Israel Blocks Him from Gaza

 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel denied the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) entry to the Gaza Strip on Monday, UNRWA and Egypt said, calling it an unprecedented move at a time of massive need.

Philippe Lazzarini, whose organization has been in crisis since Israel accused 12 of its staff of taking part in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, said he meant to go to the Gaza city of Rafah but was informed: "My entry into Rafah is declined".

Speaking with him at a Cairo news conference, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said: "You were declined by the Israeli government, refused the entry which is an unprecedented move for (a) representative at this high position."

The Israeli prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UNRWA is by far the largest relief body in Gaza, where the depth of the humanitarian crisis was underlined on Monday when a UN-backed report warned of imminent famine in the north.

"On the day new data is out on famine in #GAZA, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza," Lazzarini wrote on X, adding that his visit was intended to improve humanitarian operations.

"This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity."

Israel's ground and air offensive has laid waste to the Gaza Strip over the last five months, killing more than 31,000 people, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza.

The offensive was triggered when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel in an attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Funding crisis

Israel alleged in January that 12 of UNRWA's 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli accusations led 16 countries including the United States to pause $450 million in funding, throwing UNRWA operations into crisis.

UNRWA fired some staff members, saying it acted in order to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, and an independent internal UN investigation was launched.

Australia is one of several states which subsequently resumed funding. Its foreign minister said last week that Australia had consulted with UNRWA and other donors and was satisfied the agency was not a terrorist organization.

UNRWA has condemned the Oct. 7 attacks, saying the Israeli allegations against the agency - if true - are a betrayal of UN values and of the people UNRWA serves.

UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma told Reuters Lazzarini had visited the Gaza Strip four times during the war, and numerous occasions before that.

"We were ready to leave this morning on an Egyptian plane from Cairo to El Arish," Touma said.

Lazzarini has previously warned of a campaign to end UNRWA operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said UNRWA must be shut down.

In Cairo, the UNRWA head warned of a "race against the clock" to reverse the spread of hunger and avert famine. With political will, Gaza could be "flooded" with food via land crossings, he added.

He also said that more than 150 of UNRWA's facilities in Gaza have been hit, damaged or completely destroyed.

"We also know that a number of staff that have been arrested have gone through very tough investigation, ill-treatment and humiliation," Lazzarini said.


Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Discussed Rafah, Gaza Aid, Says White House

 A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Discussed Rafah, Gaza Aid, Says White House

 A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and discussed the situation in Rafah and efforts increase aid to Gaza, the White House said.

The call was the first between the two leaders since Feb. 15 and comes amid sharp tensions between Israel and its most steadfast ally over Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza that followed Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel.

"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the White House said.

Separately, Netanyahu said the two men had discussed Israel's commitment to achieve all the targets it had set out for the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel.

This would be done "while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve those goals," he said in a statement.

In a speech on Thursday, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, called for new elections in Israel and said Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace.

Biden praised the speech the following day and said that Schumer had echoed the concerns of many Americans.

Netanyahu responded harshly on Sunday, telling CNN in an interview that Schumer's speech was "totally inappropriate".

Netanyahu reaffirmed to a cabinet meeting on Sunday that Israeli forces would thrust into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid further civilian casualties.


US Must Make Clear to Israel Consequences of Rafah Operation, Says Egypt FM 

Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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US Must Make Clear to Israel Consequences of Rafah Operation, Says Egypt FM 

Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The United States must make clear to Israel what the consequences of a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would be, as the US has voiced opposition to such a move, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday.

"It is not enough for rhetoric, it is not enough to state opposition, it is also important to indicate what if that position is circumvented, what if that position is not respected," Shoukry said at a news briefing with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini in Cairo.

He also warned that the humanitarian consequences and the loss of lives that would result in the situation would be "catastrophic".