ANKARA, February 12. /TASS/. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the international community, and in particular the UN Security Council, to take steps against Israel's actions in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

"We are extremely concerned about the increasing number of Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah after the destruction and massacres it has already committed in the Gaza Strip. We consider this operation to be part of a plan to expel the Gazans from their own land. The ongoing attacks will exacerbate the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza and undermine efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire in the region. We call on the international community, in particular the UN Security Council, to take the necessary steps to stop Israel," a statement posted on the ministry's website says.

On February 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been ordered to prepare for the start of fighting in Rafah on the Gaza Strip’s southern border with Egypt. Two days later, he instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians and eliminate the remaining four battalions of fighters from Palestinian radical movement Hamas in the city. On the night of February 12, Arab media outlets reported that the IDF had launched massive strikes on the city of Rafah. According to the latest data from Al Mayadeen television, at least 100 people were killed in the bombing and more than 230 were injured.