The United Nations (UN) Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced today that around 110,000 people have left Rafah for safety.
“As Israeli forces’ bombardment intensifies in Rafah, forced displacement continues. Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip and living conditions are dire. The only hope is an immediate ceasefire,” UNRWA said on Platform X.
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 seen as a prelude to an Israeli ground assault on the city, which is home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has enough strength to fight on its own in the event of a possible termination of military aid from the United States of America.
“If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. We will fight tooth and nail if we have to,” Netanyahu said in an address to the nation.
Netanyahu’s adviser Dmitry Gendelman said yesterday that Israel regrets not receiving support for the delivery of weapons from its “closest ally” the US while the Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah continues.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby pointed out that the administration of US President Joseph Biden hopes that it will not have to make decisions on the delivery of weapons to Israel, but that it will have to do so if Israel enters Rafah.
