Palestinians are leaving Rafah in droves. Mass exodus from Rafah: 360 thousand people have already left the city Peace and security
The number of people who fled the city of Rafah, located in the south of Gaza, reached almost 360 thousand. The mass exodus is associated with a sharp deterioration in the security situation. Amid ongoing Israeli bombing, the delivery of humanitarian aid has been paralyzed. It was also reported that another UN staff member was killed on Monday.
Mass exodus
“Almost 360,000 people have fled Rafah since the first evacuation order a week ago,” the UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on social media X. The Israeli military, according to UNRWA, has issued an order to all residents of eastern Rafah leave their shelters.
Humanitarian access is limited
Delivering aid to those in need is increasingly difficult due to many restrictions, and people are in a desperate situation. “We urgently need safe passage for humanitarian aid and personnel,” UN insists.
The calls come amid reports of fresh clashes and shelling in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north enclave. “The bombings and evacuation orders have increased displacement and exacerbated the situation for thousands of families,” UNRWA said. “People have nowhere to go.” Without a ceasefire, there is no safety anywhere.”
Casualties among UN personnel
UN staff continue to be in mortal danger; the death toll has already reached 189 people. Another tragedy occurred on Monday. The 53-year-old employee was reported killed in an Israeli strike on the town of Deir al-Balah after leaving Rafah. “He is survived by his wife and four children,” the agency said.
Humanitarian Funding
The UN today reiterated its humanitarian request for $2.8 billion to help three million people in Gaza and the West Bank over the next eight months. “More women and children are dying in this war than in any other war this century. And those who escaped death and injury now risk dying due to lack of food, safe water, medicine and medical care,” said Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Speaking in Kuwait, Msuya said that every day “dozens of women give birth in horrific conditions, often without anesthesia or medical care, while bombs explode around them.”
“Mothers see their babies die in their arms because they don’t have enough milk to keep them alive. And children are dying because they don’t have enough food and water,” she added.
Number of victims
Gaza’s health authorities say at least 35,000 people have been killed in more than seven months of war. Another 70,000 are wounded or missing, and many remain under rubble.
The UN is asking donors to provide the necessary funds so that the Palestinians can continue to receive the life-saving aid they need. Even with ongoing UN attacks, “much can be done,” the organization notes. “We are in daily discussions with the parties about access. We are coordinating humanitarian operations… We are removing people from the rubble and helping to transport the bodies of deceased aid workers, including World Central Kitchen and Médecins Sans Frontières staff who died in the line of duty,” said a senior UN official.