RIYADH, Feb 10, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Israel's 
planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah would cause a "humanitarian 
catastrophe" and called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.

The kingdom "warned of the extremely dangerous repercussions of storming and 
targeting" Rafah and affirmed its "categorical rejection and strong 
condemnation of their forced deportation", in a foreign ministry statement 
carried by state media.

"This continued violation of international law and international humanitarian 
law confirms the necessity of convening the Security Council urgently to 
prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe," the 
statement added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the army to 
prepare to evacuate civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground operation 
against Hamas in the city.

More than one million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the city in 
Gaza's far south, many sheltering in tents pushed up against the border with 
Egypt and the sea.

Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has never recognised Israel 
but had been considering to do so before the Israel-Hamas war broke out in 
October.

The conflict was triggered by Hamas militants' attack on southern Israel 
which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, 
according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Vowing to eliminate Hamas, Israel launched a massive military offensive in 
Gaza that the Hamas-run territory's health ministry says has killed at least 
27,947 people, mostly women and children.

Riyadh has repeatedly called for a ceasefire while criticising Israeli 
"aggression" in Gaza.

While US President Joe Biden's administration has voiced optimism that Saudi-
Israeli normalisation can be revived, Saudi Arabia said this week it had told 
Washington it would not establish ties with Israel until an independent 
Palestinian state is "recognised" and Israeli forces leave Gaza.

Gaza's Hamas rulers warned on Saturday that Israeli operations in Rafah could 
cause "tens of thousands" of casualties in the city.

The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the move "threatens 
security and peace in the region in the world" and is "a blatant violation of 
all red lines".