People displaced from eastern Rafah as a result of Israel's evacuation orders took everything they could.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said today that 80,000 people have been forced to leave Rafah as a result of continued Israeli bombardment of Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, and its environs.
On Wednesday alone, an estimated 47,500 people left their shelters in Rafah to seek refuge in UNRWA shelters in Tel Sultan and Al Mawasi.
Supplies are running out all the time
UNRWA noted that, despite reports that the Kerem Shalom crossing near Rafah had been reopened, it had repeatedly warned that the extremely vulnerable population in Gaza was not receiving much-needed assistance.
"We are in contact with all relevant parties on the resumption of the passage of goods, including fuel, so that we can begin to manage the flow of goods into Gaza again," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said late Wednesday. However, the situation remains very precarious. We face a number of challenges in the ongoing hostilities. We hope that cooperation and facilitation measures will be used to restore the operation of these crossings, as critical supplies, including fuel, are running out by the clock. ”
The Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects Israel and the Gaza Strip, was closed after a deadly rocket attack by Hamas last weekend. The crossing is in close proximity to Rafah, which is the main entry point for aid into Gaza, on the border with Egypt. On Tuesday, Israeli forces seized the Rafah crossing, dashing hopes for a ceasefire.
Aid in northern Gaza has been delayed
OCHA said that in the past April, more than a quarter of humanitarian missions to northern Gaza were thwarted by Israeli authorities, with 10 percent refused. The United Nations and humanitarian partners continue to work to scale up assistance wherever and wherever they are.
On Wednesday, the U.N. World Food Programme reported that it had arrived in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza, an area where aid workers have been unable to access for the past few months.
The agency said on social media that it was ready to expand food aid in northern Gaza, but that alleviating hunger, which had lasted for six months, would require a steady supply of food and safe, sustained access.
Atrocities in the West Bank have increased dramatically
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said in an exclusive interview with UN News on Wednesday that violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has increased dramatically as the fighting in Gaza spreads.
Senga said that before the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the situation in the West Bank was already very serious. And what the IDF is doing "gives the impression that there is an armed conflict in the West Bank".
Senga said that while global attention is focused on Gaza, the intensity and frequency of violations have increased in the West Bank.
"The number of casualties caused by the IDF's massive incursions into the West Bank has skyrocketed, particularly in Tulkarem, Jenin, Nablus, Jericho and other areas," he said. ”
He said whatever happens in Gaza will have a huge impact on the West Bank and vice versa, "because there are Palestinians on both sides."
