'Nowhere safe to go' for 600,000 children of Rafah: UNICEF

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UNICEF warned on Monday that 600,000 children in Rafah have "nowhere safe to go," cautioning against forced displacement and attacks.

The UN agency issued a statement following the Israeli military's notification calling for evacuation of some neighborhoods in eastern Rafah where displaced Palestinians have sought shelter.

Highlighting that hundreds of thousands of children live in Rafah, it said: "UNICEF is calling for the protection of civilians and the infrastructure that supports their basic needs, such as hospitals and shelters, from attack and military use."

As the humanitarian situation worsens in Gaza, the statement warned of the "catastrophic" consequences of a military attack on Rafah for 600,000 children, noting the high density of children in the region.

“Rafah is now a city of children, who have nowhere safe to go in Gaza," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the statement.

Noting that there are "now about 1.2 million people sheltering in Rafah," Russell said: "If large scale military operations start, not only will children be at risk from the violence, but also from chaos and panic, and at a time where their physical and mental states are already weakened."

Russell noted that some children have been displaced multiple times and have lost their homes and families, emphasizing the need to protect children.

Citing recent data, the statement said there are 78,000 children under the age of 2 and 175,000 children under the age of 5, with 8,000 children under the age of 2 facing acute malnutrition and 65,000 children with disabilities.