800,000 Displaced from Rafah amid Israeli Ground Incursions: UN Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior UN official reported that around 800,000 people have been "forced to flee" Rafah in southern Gaza since Israeli forces initiated ground operations in the densely populated city.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, announced on Saturday that nearly half of Rafah's population, approximately 800,000 people, have been displaced since the Israeli military began its operations on May 6.
"The invasion of the city," Lazzarini stated on X, formerly Twitter, "has forced nearly half of Rafah's population onto the road, fleeing the military operation in the area."
The invasion of the city came amid a genocidal war against Gaza by the regime that has so far claimed the lives of more than 35,300 Palestinians.
Prior to these incursions, around 1.5 million Palestinians had sought refuge in Rafah, escaping the broader war that erupted following a retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance groups against the occupied territories.
According to Lazzarini, those fleeing Rafah have moved to "the middle areas and (the southern Gaza city of) Khan Younis, including to destroyed buildings."
He further reported that Al-Mawasi, a coastal town, and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza are "crammed" with the newly displaced.
"Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have .... Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again," Lazzarini added.
Simultaneously, the Israeli military has seized the Rafah crossing, the main entry point for aid supplies, including fuel, from Egypt into Gaza.
This action is part of a comprehensive siege that the Israeli regime is enforcing against the entire Gaza Strip in conjunction with its ongoing genocidal military campaign.
