Washington, 13 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US President Joe Biden has once again urgently called for the protection of the civilian population, as the Israeli military prepares for an assault on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

A military operation in Rafah "should not proceed without a credible plan — a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there," Biden said on Monday after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House.

Many people in Gaza have been displaced and forced to move several times in order to flee the violence in the north. Now they are "packed into Rafah — exposed and vulnerable."

"They need to be protected," Biden said.

The US government had also made it clear from the outset that it was against any forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned against an offensive.

"We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe," said Abdullah II.

The situation is already unbearable for more than 1 million people who have been displaced there since the beginning of the war, according to the Jordanian king. He called for an immediate, permanent ceasefire.

Abdullah II added that urgent and immediate work must be done to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip via all possible avenues.

"No other UN agency can do what UNRWA is doing in helping the people of Gaza through this humanitarian catastrophe," he said.

The Israeli military is said to be drawing up plans that include the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians who are seeking shelter in Rafah, which is located in the very south of the Gaza Strip and borders Egypt.

According to the UN, there are currently 1.3 million people in the town, which had around 250,000 inhabitants before the war.

Photo: EPA