Spain's King Says Violence In Gaza Has Already Reached An Unimaginable Level

The violence in Gaza has already reached an unimaginable level, Spanish King Felipe VI said Wednesday.

Speaking at an event in the capital Madrid, he said that the growing violence in Gaza is something that was rarely experienced during previous conflicts in the region, according to the state-run EFE news agency.

Felipe noted that its consequences are projected globally with "many uncertainties."

"This did not begin on Oct. 7, but it was when this terrible escalation of violence began with the devastating destruction and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It has already reached unimaginable levels and is of utmost concern to everyone," he said.

On Monday, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

On Tuesday, the army seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed about 1,200 people.

More than 34,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and 78,100 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. -