The United Nations Calls 450 Thousand Refugees From The Rafah Lack Of Shelters, Water And Toilets

Palestinian refugees in the Rafah camp. (Source: Doctors Without Borders)

JAKARTA - The UN Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said nearly 450,000 people who fled Rafah in the past week lacked housing, water and toilets.

In its report Tuesday UNRWA said families continued to flee Rafah to find safer places, flee wherever they could, including the ruins of buildings and dunes.

The report said families displaced from Rafah had arrived at places that had no shelter, latrines and water sources.

Furthermore, the report also calls on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and the basic needs of civilians "including food, shelter, water and health - must be met, wherever they are in Gaza and whether they move or stay."

"It is impossible to fix the situation in refugee camps if supplies cannot enter Gaza," he said.

The report also said Israeli settlers attacked aid trucks bound for Gaza in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office (OCHA).

"The settlers unloaded the cargo and damaged the vehicle at the Tarqumiya checkpoint and near the Beitsamaa barrier. Several trucks were damaged," OCHA said.

The United Nations calls for Israel to do more to protect aid trucks from Israeli settlers' violence, as well as ensure all allegations of colonial violence are investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice.