2024-05-12 18:04:31
Rafa: Fierce fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has cut off access to a vital nearby aid route and forced more than 100,000 people to flee north, a UN official said on Friday. Is. Israeli plans for a full-scale attack on Rafah appear to be on hold for the time being. The US has protested the attack and increased pressure by threatening an arms embargo. However, a more limited offensive launched earlier this week risks worsening the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. There was also heavy fighting in northern Gaza, where Hamas appeared to have regrouped in an area where Israel had already launched punitive strikes. More than 1 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah to escape fighting elsewhere, many staying in UN-run shelters or illegal tent camps.
More than a million people fled Rafa
Located on the border with Egypt, the city is also an important hub for bringing food, medicine, fuel and other goods. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says about 110,000 people have fled Rafah and food and fuel supplies are critically low in the city. Georgios Petropoulos, an OCHA official working in Rafah, said the two main crossings near the city were closed, cutting supplies and halting the movement of medical evacuations and humanitarian workers.
Food and drinks will run out
“Even though we have been assured of passage through the corridor, being so close to troops engaged in fighting is not acceptable for any humanitarian area,” he said. Petropoulos said that if more aid is not received, food provided under the United Nations World Food Program will run out. He said some 30,000 people were leaving Rafah every day in search of safety, but humanitarian workers had no supplies to help them set up camps in new locations.
The war began last year with a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel, in which it killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostage. The militants still hold about 100 people captive and the remains of more than 30 remain, despite most being released during a ceasefire last year. More than 34,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war, mostly women and children.