Countries seek to stop Israel-Hamas conflict from worsening as concerns over civilian deaths rise

가자 주민 탈출구 개방 임박에도 지상전 우려 커지다 각국 피해 최소화 외교 행보 Good evening. Thank you for joining us. I’m Yoon Jung-min. Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, countries across the world are raising their voices to avert the loss of innocent lives in Gaza amid the looming Israeli ground invasion, including U.S. President Joe Biden. In the meantime, eyes are on the reopening of a Egyptian-controlled crossing amid a humanitarian crisis. Lee Soo-jin begins our coverage. The international community is mobilizing to minimize civilian casualties from the Israel-Hamas conflict as a ground war seems imminent. Although the Israeli military warned all civilians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, local time, to evacuate to the south ahead of a possible ground assault, concerns about a humanitarian crisis continue to grow as the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt remains closed. The Rafah border crossing is currently the only potential exit, and means to receive supplies of fuel, electricity and water for most Palestinians in Gaza after Israel closed its two border crossings and imposed a complete siege on the territory. The United States has been urging Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Cairo on Sunday that it soon will be, although he did not specify exactly when. “I had very good conversations, both with the crown prince in Saudi Arabia and here in Egypt with President al-Sisi, and also heard, I think, a lot of good ideas about some of the things we need to do moving forward, including practical ideas on getting assistance to Palestinians in Gaza who are in need.“ And U.S. President Joe Biden in a “60 Minutes“ interview with CBS on Sunday, local time, said that Israel had to respond to the Hamas attack but that it would be a “big mistake” for Israel to occupy Gaza. He also added that Israel will do everything in its power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians. Western officials have also privately been urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials to delay the ground attack to allow civilians to evacuate. They have also called for the nation to provide access to humanitarian aid as concerns about civilian deaths continue to mount, according to the Financial Times. Leaders of the Arab League and the African Union released a joint statement in which they urged Israel to reconsider the ground offensive as it could lead to a “genocide of unprecedented proportions.“ The future of the displaced Palestinians remains uncertain even though the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing is expected to reopen as Cairo remains opposed to their resettlement in Egypt, and because it will be difficult for them to return to their homes in Gaza once they have fled. Lee Soo-jin, Ariang News. #Israel #Hamas #War #Conflict #Diplomacy #이스라엘 #하마스 #전쟁 #외교 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-10-16, 18:00 (KST)