Some 800,000 people have been forced to flee Gaza's southernmost town of Rafah since Israel launched a military operation in the area in early May, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday, urging greater protection for civilians in Gaza, safe humanitarian access and a ceasefire. The renewed appeal comes as virtually no aid has entered Gaza for more than ten days, and essentials such as fuel, food and water are in dangerously short supply.
According to UNRWA, people have been moving mainly to Deir al Balah in central Gaza and the city of Khan Younis, following Israeli evacuation orders demanding that people flee to so-called safe zones.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Palestinian civilians have been forced repeatedly to flee in search of safety, even though there is no safe place in Gaza and people are unable to leave the territory.
“When people move, they are exposed, without safe passage or protection. Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have: mattresses, tents, cooking utensils and basic supplies that they cannot carry or pay to transport,” Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, said in a statement Saturday that was also posted on social media.
“Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again.”
Lazzarini stressed that the areas to which people are fleeing do not have safe water supplies or sanitation facilities.
“Al-Mawassi - as one example - is a sandy 14 square kilometer agricultural land, where people are left out in the open with little to no buildings or roads. It lacks the minimal conditions to provide emergency humanitarian assistance in a safe and dignified manner, ” said the UNRWA chief.
“Before the recent escalation, the area was home to more than 400,000 people. The place is crammed and cannot absorb more people, as is also the case for Deir al Balah, in the middle areas.”
He strongly disputed the claim that people in Gaza could move to "safe" or "humanitarian" zones.
“Each time, it puts the lives of civilians at serious risk. Gaza does not have any safe zones. No place is safe. No one is safe,” Lazzarini said.
In its latest situation report released on Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the ongoing influx of displaced people into Khan Younis and Deir al Balah continues to strain dwindling humanitarian resources.
While Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported throughout much of the Gaza Strip, incursions and heavy fighting continue to be reported, particularly in Jabalya and eastern Rafah.
The main crossings into Gaza near the Egyptian border remain closed or unsafe, as they are located near or in combat zones.
As of Friday, the Rafah Crossing remained closed, according to OCHA. While the Kerem Shalom crossing was operational, the prevailing security and logistical conditions hampered the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Israeli forces seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza last Tuesday (May 7), halting all major aid shipments into Gaza.
“The situation is again being made far worse by the lack of aid and basic humanitarian supplies. The humanitarian community does not have any more supplies to give out, including food and other basic items,” Lazzarini said, warning that aid distribution was almost impossible without regular fuel imports, unstable telecommunications and the ongoing military operation.
“Since 6 May, only 33 aid trucks made it through to southern Gaza. This is a small trickle amid the growing humanitarian needs and mass displacement,” the UNRWA Commissioner-General said.
"The crossings must re-open and be safe to access. Without the re-opening of these routes, the deprivation of assistance and catastrophic humanitarian conditions will persist. “
The UN has welcomed reports of some initial shipments arriving at the new floating dock built by the United States, but warned that land routes remain the most viable, effective, efficient and safest method of aid delivery.
“Given the immense needs in Gaza, the floating dock is intended to supplement existing land crossings of aid into Gaza, including Rafah, Kerem Shalom and Erez. It is not meant to replace any crossings” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Saturday that 10 truckloads of food had arrived at its Deir al-Balah warehouse from the pier.
While media reports have focused on the opening of the sea route, the land crossings remain the only adequate route for aid into Gaza to reach the 2.3 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Prior to the current emergency, approximately 500 truckloads of goods entered Gaza every working day - an average of nearly 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian goods per month.
Haq said that after months of discussions, the UN had agreed to help receive and arrange the delivery of aid to Gaza from the floating dock "as long as it respects the neutrality and independence of humanitarian operations."
Before the latest Israeli assault on Rafah, some 1.5 million Palestinians - displaced persons and local residents - were trapped on a tiny strip of land with nowhere else to go. The United Nations says there is no safe place in Gaza.
Overall, some 1.7 million people - more than 75 percent of Gaza's total population - have been displaced by Israeli military attacks or Israeli evacuation orders. Among those uprooted by the war are 1 million children, including some 17,000 unaccompanied or separated boys and girls.
Half of Gaza's population - some 1.1 million people - face catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation, with famine now imminent or already occurring in northern Gaza. The entire population of the Gaza Strip - some 2.3 million people - suffers from high levels of acute food insecurity and is in urgent need of assistance.
More than 35,300 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 79,200 others injured by Israeli security forces in Gaza since October 7 last year. More than 10,000 others are feared buried under the rubble in Gaza and presumed dead.
Among the fatalities are more than 14,500 children and more than 9,500 women. The dead include at least 262 aid workers, 193 UN staff, 493 health workers and 147 journalists.
Further information
Full text: Once again, nearly half of the population of Rafah or 800,000 people are on the road, having been forced to flee since the Israeli Forces started the military operation in the area on 6 May, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, statement, published May 18, 2024
https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/once-again-nearly-half-population-rafah-or-800000-people-are-road