UN says 800,000 Gazans have evacuated from Rafah

The United Nations says 800,000 Palestinians have been “forced to flee” Rafah amid Israel’s military operation in the southern Gaza city.

“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,” the UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says on X.

“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,” he writes. “Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again.”

He says people are fleeing to areas without water supplies or adequate sanitation.

Israel has said Rafah, where Hamas’s four intact battalions are deployed, remains a major stronghold for the terror group. It also believes that many of the remaining 124 hostages kidnapped in the Hamas-led October 7 atrocities are being held in Rafah.