‘Over A Million People Seeking Safety In Rafah’ – UNRWA1 min read

We’re now hearing from the director of UNRWA, the UN’s relief agency.

Speaking from Rafah in southern Gaza, Tom White tells the BBC there are “well over a million people” seeking safety in the city.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians across Gaza moved to Rafah – which borders Egypt – because of intense bombardment in the enclave’s northern and central parts. The displacement also follows orders from Israeli forces urging civilians to flee parts of Gaza where Israel says it is working to eradicate Hamas.

White says that for “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people” seeking safety in Rafah, “there are no spots left” in schools, UNRWA schools and other municipal facilities.

He reiterates a line we heard from UNRWA earlier, saying that “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people are now sleeping in the open” as a result of the overcrowding. White says those people are bedding down “under flimsy pieces of plastic”.

BBC