Protesters gather outside White House against Israel's plans for Rafah offensive

WASHINGTON

People gathered outside the White House late Monday to protest against Israel's assault on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Demonstrators, including NGOs and university students, carried Palestinian flags, and chanted against President Joe Biden while unfurling banners saying 'Hands of Rafah', 'Biden: Rafah Is On You Stop This Slaughter', 'Save Rafah', 'End All US Aid To Israel.'

Israeli army plans to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, home to more than 1 million residents seeking refuge from war, to defeat what Tel Aviv calls the remaining "Hamas battalions." The planned offensive has triggered concerns of a humanitarian catastrophe in the city.

Israel has since pounded the Gaza Strip, killing at least 28,340 people and injuring 67,984 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which said in an interim ruling that South Africa's claims in a case filed in December were plausible.

In its January ruling, the court ordered provisional measures for the Israeli government to desist from genocidal acts, and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Diyar Guldogan