The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRVA) said that around 80,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since May 6 and the start of the Israeli offensive on the city in the southern Gaza Strip.
“People are facing another forced displacement in the Gaza Strip. The toll on these families is unbearable. Nowhere is safe. We urgently need a ceasefire,” UNRVA said in a statement.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing on the border with Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The move came a day after the army ordered the evacuation of Palestinians east of Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to an Israeli ground assault on the city, which is home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
Photo: archive
