UNICEF Warns of ‘Catastrophic Risks’ to Children in Rafah Amid Potential Israeli Ground Invasion

The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned of “catastrophic risks” to hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah, Gaza, if Israeli forces launch a ground invasion, VOA reported yesterday.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that Rafah is “a city of children” with “nowhere safe to go”. She cautioned that children would be at risk of violence, chaos, and further trauma if military operations begin.

Israel has ordered evacuations of some Rafah neighborhoods ahead of a possible ground incursion.

UNICEF has called on Israel to fulfill its legal obligations and facilitate aid operations to protect the 1.2 million Palestinians, half of them children, currently sheltering in the city.