‘Nowhere safe to go’: UNRWA says a million Palestinians fled Rafah in past 3 weeks

Around one million Palestinians have fled the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip in the past three weeks, according to UNRWA, after Israel began issuing evacuation orders early this month.

“This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions,” the UN agency for Palestinians charges in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The IDF has called on residents to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas of southern Gaza, estimating last week that some 950,000 Palestinians had evacuated from Rafah.

Amid mounting international pressure, Israel insists that the military operation in Rafah is crucial to its goal of eliminating Hamas and freeing the hostages seized during the terror group’s October 7 massacre.

In the past 3 weeks around 1 million people have fled #Rafah

This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions

Day after day, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/CyVE0angws

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 28, 2024