Berlin, 17 May 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The foreign ministers of 13 countries have warned Israel in a letter against a comprehensive military offensive in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a media report.

The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported in its Friday edition that the signatories had also demanded more aid for the Palestinian population.

All states in the Group of Seven (G7) major industrialized nations have signed the four-page letter dated Wednesday - with the exception of the United States.

In the letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the ministers emphasized Israel's right to self-defence and condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Islamist groups on October 7.

At the same time, they called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do everything in its power to alleviate the devastating and worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, they also called on Israel to open all border crossings into the coastal strip for aid supplies, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Just over a week ago, Israel's army advanced from the east to Rafah despite strong international warnings. Since then, the army has also controlled the Palestinian part of the Gaza border crossing to Egypt.

The important border crossing has since been closed to humanitarian aid. Israel and Egypt are blaming each other for this.

The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of the G7 states Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Canada, as well as their counterparts from Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and Sweden.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced the deployment of additional troops to Rafah on Thursday. Hundreds of targets had already been hit there and several tunnels destroyed, according to the Israeli military.

According to UN figures, around 600,000 people have already fled the city on the border with Egypt.

Photo: EPA