Dutch Minister to pressure Israel to stop attacks in Rafah; Sanctions not on the table
Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs does not intend to threaten Israel with sanctions over its impending ground offensive in Rafah, she told parliament on Wednesday. Despite the urging of several opposition parties to consider sanctions, Bruins Slot will stick to “maximum” diplomatic pressure on Israel for now, she said, the Volkskrant reports.
The European Foreign Ministers will meet early next week to discuss the situation in Rafah. GroenLinks-PvdA parliamentarian Kati Piri urged Bruins Slot to talk to her colleagues about a package of sanctions for when Israel starts its ground offensive on Rafah. Diplomatic pressure has proved insufficient, Piri and parliamentarians from Volt, DENK, D66, and SP said.
Over the past weeks, Israeli forces told hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to seek shelter in Rafah. Israel is now preparing for a ground assault on the area. Nearly two-thirds of Gaza’s residents are now jammed into Rafah, many of whom were forced to relocate as a result of the violence in the region. Prior to the Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7, the city housed fewer than 264,000 people. That total has since swelled to 1.4 million, according to figures from the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Bruins Slot expressed concerns about Rafah on X over the weekend. It is “difficult to see how large-scale military operations in such a densely populated area would not lead to many civilian casualties and great humanitarian catastrophe,” she said.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Israel and the Palestinian territories on Monday. He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce the level of force used against the Palestinian people and avoid large-scale military action in Rafah but also didn’t go as far as to ask for a halt to the hostilities. “Large-scale military action in Rafah would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences,” he said after the meeting.
Also on Monday, the Netherlands announced it would appeal against a court order to stop providing parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.
On October 7, Hamas committed large-scale terrorist attacks in Israel, killing at least 1,139 people. Israel immediately retaliated with large-scale bombings on the Gaza Strip and, except for a few days-long “humanitarian pause” in exchange for hostages, has continued the attacks since. As of February 13, Israel’s attacks have killed at least 28,340 Palestinians, including 12,150 children, and wounded 68,146, including 8,663 kids. Over 7,000 children are missing, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza.
