UNRWA Says About 50 Thousand People Left Rafah In The Last 48 Hours

Palestinian refugees. (Source: UNRWA/Ashraf Amra)

JAKARTA - The United Nations' senior staff for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday some 50,000 people had left Rafah in southern Gaza in the past 48 hours, due to an evacuation order issued by Israel.

"We've tracked about 50,000 people who left Rafah in the last 48 hours. We've seen them go to Khan Younis, some go to an extended humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, others go to Deir al-Balah," Deputy Director of Senior UNRWA Affairs at Gaza Scott Anderson told CNN., as reported on May 9.

Gazans began leaving the eastern Rafah on Monday after the Israeli military ordered residents there to "immediately evacuate" as they carried out military operations in the city.

"As a UN, we think people should choose where they want to go and we will provide assistance to them wherever they decide to seek protection with their families," he said.

When asked about the expansion of the humanitarian territory that Israel has designated in the coastal city of Al-Mawasi as a refugee camp for Gazans, Anderson said the region "of course does not have the infrastructure as you would expect," adding there were already more than 400,000 refugees seeking refuge there.

"Basically, this area is sandy, so there is no waste disposal infrastructure, there is no water infrastructure. There is no road to it," he said.

Anderson also said people who fled to Khan Younis would reach an area that had been destroyed by war. He stressed that the arrival of more humanitarian aid was a major concern for his institution.