(VOVWORLD) - An Israeli military operation in Rafah “could lead to a slaughter” and cripple lifesaving humanitarian work throughout Gaza, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday.
 Homes are razed to the ground after Israeli-Hamas clash in Rafah on May 1, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
“Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death” for the 1.2 million displaced Palestinians sheltering in and around the Strip’s southernmost city, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists in Geneva.
An Israeli incursion in Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and be a huge blow to the humanitarian operations of the entire enclave, Laerke added.
Echoing those concerns, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that contingency plans called “Band-Aid” have been made in case a full-scale military incursion happens.
After nearly seven months of Israel-Hamas conflict, only 12 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza and 22 of the enclave’s 88 primary health care facilities are “partially functional” today, the UN health agency said.