In Rafah, forced displacement and military operations have exacerbated an already catastrophic situation.
At a time when Israel's evacuation order for Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, has caused nearly 300,000 people to flee again, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk have said that every effort must be made to prevent a full-scale military operation against Rafah.
Guterres spoke by phone with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on the same day, the secretary-general's spokesman's office said Saturday. The parties discussed the grave situation in Gaza and agreed that a full-scale military operation in Rafah would have catastrophic consequences and that it must be prevented.
Guterres also expressed deep appreciation for Qatar's ongoing mediation efforts to broker an agreement aimed at achieving an emergency ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages in Gaza.
An immediate ceasefire must be achieved
In Kuwait on Sunday, Guterres met with the country's emir (head of state), Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the two also discussed the situation in Gaza.
In a video message to a humanitarian conference in Kuwait on the same day, Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, with the unconditional release of all hostages and an immediate and substantial increase in humanitarian assistance.
There is nowhere to run from Gaza
High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk also issued a statement on Sunday saying that he was deeply saddened by the rapid deterioration of the situation in Gaza as the Israeli army ramped up air strikes in many parts of Gaza. At the same time, he was concerned about reports of indiscriminate rocket firing from Gaza.
Türk noted that more than 278,000 Gazans have fled Rafah, which was once considered a safe zone, since the Israeli military issued its initial evacuation order on May 6.
"Where should people go now?" he asked. There is no safe place left in Gaza. ”
He stressed that these people are physically and mentally exhausted and hungry, and many of them have been displaced several times; Other Gaza towns, including Khan Younis, were supposed to host displaced people from Rafah, but they are in ruins and are still under attack.
Compliance with international law
Türk said that these evacuation orders, issued to an area with an extremely high concentration of civilians, are completely contrary to the rigid requirements of international humanitarian law and the binding interim measures issued by the International Court of Justice on two occasions; Therefore, an all-out attack on Rafah could have even more unimaginable consequences.
He firmly stated that "an all-out assault on Rafah must not take place". At the same time, he called on all influential States to do everything in their power to prevent this from happening and thus protect the lives of civilians.
