The organization’s director general, Catherine Russell, criticized Israel’s threats to extend its ground operations to the Rafah governorship in the south. “We call to avoid a military scale-up in the Rafah governorship, where more than 600,000 children and their families were displaced, many of them more than once,” she said in a statement.

Russell lamented an increase in fighting in the territory, pointing out that it will cause another devastating turn in the war, which has caused the death of over 28,000 Palestinians since October 7th.

She stressed that thousands more could die in Rafah due to violence or lack of essential services.

“The population needs the last remaining hospitals, shelters, markets and water systems in Gaza to continue functioning because without them, hunger and disease will skyrocket,” she warned.

She also recalled that according to international standards, in conflicts it is mandatory to preserve the lives of civilians, meet their essential needs, and ease rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access.

Military operations in densely populated residential areas can have indiscriminate effects, she said, referring to Israeli attacks on several cities such as Gaza and Khan Yunis.

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