The warning comes as the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWAreported that over the past week, nearly 300,000 people have now fled Rafah following Israeli military orders for further evacuations from the area.
“There is no safe place to go,” the agency warned in a message on X.
Dire consequences
In a telephone conversation on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani agreed that “A full-scale military operation in Rafah would have catastrophic consequences and must be prevented.,” according to one report about the conversation announced by the Secretary-General’s spokesperson’s office.
“The Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation for Qatar’s continued mediation efforts to broker an agreement on an emergency ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate release of the hostages,” he said.
Guterres also discussed the situation in Gaza on Sunday in Kuwait City with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber.
In a comment to the press on Sunday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he “deeply saddened by the rapid deterioration in Gaza as Israeli forces increase air strikes”across Gaza.
He also expressed concern about reports of indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza.
‘Where should they go now?’
Mr. Türk noted that the Israeli military’s latest evacuation order has nearly a million people in Rafah concerned. Since the Israeli military issued the initial evacuation order on May 6, More than 278,000 Gazans have fled Rafahan area considered a safe zone.
“Where should they go now? There is no safe place in Gaza,” he said.
These are exhausted and hungry people, many of whom have been displaced multiple times and There are no good optionshe say.
Other towns in Gaza, including Khan Younis, which is now believed to be hosting evacuees from Rafah, have been reduced to rubble and are still under attack.
“These are not safe places,” he emphasized.
Against the world court order
The human rights chief said he did not see how the latest evacuation orders, let alone a general offensive, in an area with an extremely dense civilian presence, could be tolerated. reconciled with the binding requirements of international humanitarian law and with the two sets of binding interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“A large-scale attack on Rafah cannot take place,” he said, calling on all influential countries to do everything in their power to prevent it to protect civilian lives. often.
As Israeli bombardment increased in Rafah, forced displacement continued.
There is a severe lack of aid amid border closures
At the same time, Mr. Türk said, aid to Gaza is “severely lacking”.
“At this desperate time, exacerbated by actions that impede access to humanitarian aid in Gaza through three border crossings, there is an acute shortage of fuel,” he warned.
Scarcity of fuel “hindered everything,” from moving food to operating hospitals he added about wastewater treatment and telecommunications.
Expressing concern for the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers, he called on Israeli and Palestinian armed groups to take action. urgently agreed to a ceasefire and immediately release all hostages.
