Britain's FM rejects Rafah offensive without 'clear plan' to save lives

LONDON: Britain's foreign minister David Cameron on Sunday said Israel should not carry out an offensive in the Gazan city of Rafah without a "clear plan" to protect people.

"For there to be a major offensive in Rafah, there would have to be an absolutely clear plan about how you save lives, how you move people out the way, how you make sure they're fed, you make sure that they have medicine and shelter and everything," he told Sky News television.

"We have seen no such plan ... so we don't support an offensive in that way," he added.

Israel launched more strikes on Hamas in Gaza on Sunday after it expanded an evacuation order for eastern Rafah. It said 300,000 people had fled the city in the Palestinian territory since the army urged people to leave.

Israel strikes Gaza after fresh Rafah evacuation order

Israeli troops defied widespread international opposition this week to enter eastern areas of the city, effectively shutting a key aid crossing and suspending traffic through another.

Cameron said Israel needed to "do better" on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"I've said many times that I'm not content with the action Israel has taken over humanitarian aid," he said, adding there are "some signs" of improvement, "but not fast enough".

The war began following Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive that has killed more than 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.