1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Despite calls from governments globally that Rafah was a red line, Israel ethnically cleansed and flattened it, showing that, despite global condemnation, Israel continues to operate under total impunity. In 2024, after months of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the world’s attention turned to Rafah, which at the time was home to over 1.4million people (70% of Gaza’s population). The people of Rafah were joined by those forcibly displaced from their homes in Gaza City and Khan Younis. Global leaders described how ‘Rafah was a red line’, as Israel closed in on attacking the city, but Israel continued and launched an ethnic cleansing campaign, displacing and killing entire families to clear the city. By April 2025, most of Rafah was completely destroyed, and by February 2026, the entire city was under Israeli control, with any remaining areas still standing now being flattened. During the last 2 years, Israel has destroyed or damaged 81% of all structures in Gaza. Neighbourhoods and towns have been deliberately destroyed, leaving homes, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure in ruins. This not only makes it impossible for Palestinians to ever return to their physical homes, but it also makes civilian life in these areas impossible. Since the ceasefire agreement was signed more than 3 months ago, Israel has demolished over 2,500 structures in Gaza and killed 600 Palestinians. The continued flattening of Rafah must immediately be stopped, as it not only threatens any chance of Palestinians returning, but it also hides the crimes Israel has committed. We have no idea how many people’s bodies have been left buried beneath the rubble, and Israel’s systematic destruction of Rafah means we may never know the true scale of what they have done. Israel continues to eradicate Palestinians and Palestine itself. I call on you to urgently: - Impose full, comprehensive sanctions on Israel. - Enforce a complete two-way trade embargo, ending all import and export activity. - Immediately end all arms sales and intelligence cooperation. - Ensure unimpeded access for aid and humanitarian organizations. - Demand an end to the illegal occupation.