Any move by Israel to extend its full-scale invasion of Gaza into the massively overcrowded southern city of Rafah could lead to war crimes which must be prevented at all costs, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Tuesday.
"We as the UN and Member States of the UN can bear witness," OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists in Geneva. "We can warn what might unfold with a ground invasion and we can make clear what the law says… under international humanitarian law, indiscriminate bombing of densely populated areas may amount to war crimes."
The development came as OCHA reported an "increase in strikes" in Rafah governorate on Sunday and Monday. At the same time, thousands of Gazans continue to flood into Rafah, including many who have fled intense fighting in Khan Younis.
The result of this exodus is that Rafah's population have increased fivefold since war erupted in the enclave on 7 October, in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 captured as hostages.
"To be clear, intensified hostilities in Rafah in this situation could lead to large-scale loss of civilian lives and we must do everything possible within our power to avoid that," Mr. Laerke said.
Khan Younis evacuation
Confirming accounts of ongoing heavy fighting in Khan Younis, Tommaso Della Longa from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that 8,000 Gazans who had been sheltering at Al Amal hospital had left the facility on Monday, after Israeli authorities guaranteed safe passage.
