UNRWA: 110,000 Flee Gaza Amid Intensifying Israeli Bombardment
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported on Friday that around 110,000 people have fled the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, seeking safety from the escalating Israeli bombardment, Anadolu Agency reported.
“As Israel’s bombardment intensifies in Rafah, forced displacement continues,” UNRWA stated. “Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip and living conditions are atrocious. The only hope is an immediate ceasefire.”
This mass displacement comes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah earlier this week, a move seen as a prelude to a major Israeli offensive on the city, which is home to 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing, closing it to all traffic and further isolating Gaza.
The Israeli attacks are in retaliation for an October 2023 Hamas incursion that killed around 1,200 people. So far, Israel’s seven-month war has killed over 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 78,500 others, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The ongoing conflict has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins, with 85% of the enclave’s population now internally displaced amid a crippling blockade of essential supplies. Israel stands accused of committing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories.
