Rafah Crisis: 940,000 displaced, urgent needs remain

Τhe Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) informed UN that the intensification of hostilities and issuance of evacuation orders have displaced more than 940,000 people from Rafah in the past three weeks, alongside 100,000 who have been displaced in northern Gaza.

Attacks on Rafah have continued unabated, and civilians displaced by hostilities lack shelter, they lack food, they lack water and other supplies essential to their human survival. Health facilities there continue to face dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies while having to cope with a rising influx of casualties due to injuries and burns.

UN humanitarian colleagues told also that while the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open in principle, it is extremely difficult for aid organizations to access from the Gaza side due to the hostilities, challenging logistical conditions, and complex coordination procedures.

“However, I can tell you that, as of yesterday, we were able to access 43 trucks at the Kerem Shalom site. Access constraints continue to hamper the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid inside Gaza. Between 1 and 26 May, 137 humanitarian aid missions to areas that require coordination across Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, 86 were impeded after getting a green light or denied access to begin with, and 43 were cancelled by the organizers, the humanitarian organizers” said SG Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric during the Press Briefing at UNHQ.