UNRWA Calls Israel's Attack On Rafah Disaster Recipe

UNRWA staff at the Gaza refugee shelter. (Twitter/@UNRWA)

JAKARTA - The UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Saturday said the military offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip, amidst vulnerable and exposed communities, was a recipe for disaster.

"In Rafah, southern Gaza, there are 1.4 million residents within a radius of tens of kilometers living in temporary shelters made of plastic," UNRWA Commissioner General Phillippe Lazzarini said on platform X, quoted by Antara, Sunday.

"I can barely speak," he added.

Earlier that day, Israel's official Broadcasting Authority stated that military operations in Rafah would begin after the completion of the wide evacuation' of civilians from the city and its outskirts.

Based on this, Gaza's state media office warned of a global disaster and massacre in the event of an Israeli invasion of Rafah province.

Rafah has been the last refugee camp for those who have fled the devastated territory, overseeing more than 1.4 million Palestinians, including 1.3 million refugees from other regions, according to state media offices in Gaza.

Since the start of the ground operation launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip on October 27, residents have been forced to move from the north and the central region to the south, under the pretext that the region is a safe zone, but has not escaped the bombing of houses, cars and hospitals.

Following the atrocities committed in the region, Israel faces genocide charges' before the International Court for the first time in its history, which has received regional and international approval to end Israel's impunity, while facing opposition from the United States.