In a recent report on the humanitarian situation in Palestine, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that over a million people were now residing in the southern Gaza region’s Rafah Governorate. OCHA said that heavy Israeli bombardments from “land, air and sea” continued across Gaza and that hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah had added to Rafah becoming “extremely overcrowded”. According to the update, an estimated 14,000 people who were sheltering at the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis when it was attacked on Tuesday, killing five people, are now “extremely fearful”. Many have already since fled the hospital while others are planning to leave the “place they had previously turned to for refuge and protection”, OCHA said. The UN humanitarian update also renewed warnings about the spread of disease in Gaza and the “catastrophic” food security situation with the risk of famine. The US State Department has issued a statement rejecting the “inflammatory and irresponsible statements from Israeli Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.” Matthew Miller said that “there should be no mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza” in the statement issued on Tuesday. “We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel,” Miller said. “That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world,” Miller added.
Rafah extremely crowded with over 1m Palestinians: UN
