Nearly 110,000 people fled Rafah for safety, says UN agency

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – The UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday that around 110,000 people have fled Rafah for safety.

“As Israel Forces bombardment intensifies in Rafah, forced displacement continues,” UNRWA stated on X.

“Nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip and living conditions are atrocious,” it said, adding, “The only hope is an immediate cease-fire.”

On Monday, Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

A day later, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing, which connects Gaza and Egypt, closing it to all traffic.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion last year that killed about 1,200 people.

Tel Aviv’s war has since killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while some 78,500 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Over seven months into Israel’s genocidal war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian territory.

It also ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and asked it to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to Gaza’s civilians.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala