As international efforts continue to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, the head of UNRWA, the UN aid agency for Palestinians, warned on Tuesday that those in the enclave remain deeply traumatised by the war with Israel and afraid of a full-scale assault on Rafah in the south.
"People are anxious and in fear of a possible large-scale military operation," Philippe Lazzarini said, after emerging from a briefing with Member States at UN Geneva. "If the assault takes place, the question is, 'Where will the civilians go?' There is absolutely no safe place in Rafah anymore and the fear is that the number of people killed and injured might again significantly increase."
After more than four months of fighting, sparked by murderous Hamas-led attacks on 7 October in Israel that left some 1,200 people butchered and more than 250 taken hostage, more than 100,000 Gazans have been reported either killed, injured or are missing under the rubble by the local health authority, amid intense Israeli bombardment.
Mr. Lazzarini insisted that it was unfeasible to expect the more than one million displaced people crammed into Rafah governorate to move once again, so that Israeli forces can continue their sweep for Hamas militants.
"They are asked to move, the question is where to move," he said, noting that in Rafah, every spare piece of land over a 20-kilometre stretch was occupied by hundreds of thousands of people living in makeshift plastic shelters.
Turning to the issue of the serious allegations that some UNRWA staff collaborated with Hamas, the agency chief noted that he had immediately sacked those involved and initiated an investigation. Mr. Lazzarini also called for the cooperation of the Israeli authorities.
More to follow...
