The evacuation of Rafah, with more than a million people removed, is “not feasible” under current conditions, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned today, as Israel threatens to launch a ground operation in the city. on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.
Many countries and humanitarian organizations are concerned about the ongoing preparations for this operation. Israel considers Rafah to be the last major Hamas stronghold in the Palestinian enclave.
“We do not currently see any plan to evacuate” Rafa, Fabrizio Carboni, the director of the ICRC, said on the sidelines of a meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Rafah is home to 1.5 million people, both permanent residents and displaced, who are facing a dramatic humanitarian situation. “If we look at the level of destruction in the central (Gaza) sector and in the north, we don’t understand where people could move to and where they could have decent accommodation and basic services,” he added. “Therefore today, with the information we have (…) we do not consider a mass evacuation possible”, he stressed.
The Israeli army has not yet entered Rafah, which is nevertheless bombarded daily. According to Egyptian officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, ahead of its operation Israel is preparing to move civilians from Rafah to Khan Younis where it will set up shelters and food distribution centers. The evacuation operation could last two to three weeks and would be coordinated with the US, Egypt and other Arab countries such as the UAE, the sources said.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallad said he was considering “a range of measures” ahead of operations in Rafah, mainly involving the removal of civilians.
“A military operation (in Rafah) cannot, under any circumstances, be carried out without catastrophic humanitarian consequences,” Carboni told AFP today on the sidelines of the Dubai International Summit on Development and Humanitarian Aid (Dihad). “Considering the level of destruction, the fatigue of people, that some are injured or sick, and the limited access to food and basic services, I find (the evacuation) extremely difficult,” he added.
For Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the non-governmental organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a ground operation in Rafah, “the largest displaced persons camp on the planet”, would lead to an “Apocalypse situation”. “There is no information (about the evacuation), no consultation with humanitarian organizations,” he said. What the organizations understand is that “Netanyahu says he will attack but there is no plan for where the civilians will go, how the aid will be provided and how it will be distributed.”
“There are no reserves, no fuel and, above all, no liquidity. There is no money, we cannot pay our workers”, commented the NRC director.
Palestinians who have returned to the northern Gaza Strip in recent weeks have seen ruins. What awaited them were “unexploded bombs and, in many cases, more bombing,” he continued. “There is no safe place in Gaza if people leave Rafah,” he concluded.
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Table of Contents
The Imminent Evacuation Crisis in Rafah: Humanitarian Concerns and Uncertainty
As Israel threatens to launch a ground operation in Rafah, a city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that evacuating more than a million people from the area is “not feasible” under current conditions. The situation in Rafah is dire, with 1.5 million people, both permanent residents and displaced, facing a dramatic humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders in Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate [[1]]. According to the United Nations, roughly 800,000 people have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched a military operation in the area on May 6 [[2]]. The city has been bombarded daily, with the Israeli army preparing to move civilians from Rafah to Khan Younis, where shelters and food distribution centers will be set up [[3]].
Humanitarian organizations, including the ICRC and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), have expressed grave concerns about the ongoing preparations for the operation. Fabrizio Carboni, the director of the ICRC, stated that “a military operation (in Rafah) cannot, under any circumstances, be carried out without catastrophic humanitarian consequences.” Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the NRC, warned that a ground operation in Rafah would lead to an “Apocalypse situation.”
The main concern is the lack of a clear plan for the evacuation, with no information provided on where civilians will be relocated, how aid will be provided, and how it will be distributed. The ICRC has stressed that it does not currently see any plan to evacuate Rafah, and Carboni expressed doubts about the feasibility of a mass evacuation. “If we look at the level of destruction in the central (Gaza) sector and in the north, we don’t understand where people could move to and where they could have decent accommodation and basic services,” he said.
The situation in Rafah is exacerbated by the limited access to food and basic services, the fatigue of the population, and the presence of injured and sick individuals. The NRC has highlighted the lack of reserves, fuel, and liquidity, making it impossible to pay workers and provide aid.
As the situation in Rafah continues to deteriorate, the international community is calling for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis. The ICRC, NRC, and other organizations are urging for a halt to the military operation and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
the imminent evacuation crisis in Rafah is a dire situation that requires immediate attention and action. The humanitarian consequences of a military operation in Rafah would be catastrophic, and it is imperative that a peaceful solution is found to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian population.
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What humanitarian challenges are being faced by the evacuated population in Rafah due to the current military crisis?
The Imminent Evacuation Crisis in Rafah: Humanitarian Concerns and Uncertainty
As Israel threatens to launch a ground operation in Rafah, a city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that evacuating more than a million people from the area is “not feasible” under current conditions. The situation in Rafah is dire, with 1.5 million people, both permanent residents and displaced, facing a dramatic humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders in Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate [[1]]. According to the United Nations, roughly 800,000 people have been forced to flee Rafah since Israel launched a military operation in the area
