by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber
GENEVA, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The United Nations humanitarian office expressed concern on Friday that hostilities in Khan Younis have forced more people to flee to Rafah, calling the border town in Gaza’s far south a “crockpot -minute of despair”.
The warning comes as Israel prepares to continue its war campaign against Gaza further south, near the Egyptian border, where most residents have taken refuge to escape the Israeli offensive.
“I would like to emphasize our deep concern over the escalation of hostilities in Khan Yunis, which has led to an increase in the number of displaced people seeking refuge in Rafah in recent days,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office. United for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have taken refuge in the area, where they often live hungry and in the cold, in makeshift shelters and public buildings.
“Rafah is a pressure cooker of despair and we fear for the future,” said Jens Laerke.
Gaza residents have reported strikes in areas around hospitals in Khan Yunis and say Israeli forces have intensified attacks near Rafah.
“Khan Younes is also increasingly under attack, and it is shocking to hear of heavy fighting near hospitals, endangering the safety of medical staff, the wounded and sick, as well as thousands of displaced people in inside the gang who seek refuge there,” said Jens Laerke.
“Agencies are indeed scrambling to respond in these circumstances.”
An analysis of satellite imagery by the United Nations (Unosat) shows that 30% of buildings in the Gaza Strip were destroyed or damaged during the Israeli offensive in this densely populated enclave.
Since October 7, at least 27,131 Palestinians have been killed and 66,287 injured by Israeli strikes on Gaza, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; French version by Dagmarah Mackos, editing by Kate Entringer)
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