UN chief 'extremely' concerned over possible expansion of Israeli offensive to Rafah

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "extremely" concerned over the possible expansion of the ongoing Israeli military offensive to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, his spokesman said on Friday.

"We've already seen the impact on civilians with the actions in Khan Younis, not only impact but also the impact of on our own facility when our compound was hit.

"Obviously, since the beginning of the ground operations, there's been movement of people to the south," Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

He added that there is a "more dense" population further south and people are living in "dire" conditions there.

"So, it is very worrying indeed," he added.

Rafah is currently hosting over half of the Gaza population that has been displaced by the war and it is also the main route of humanitarian assistance for the 2.2 million in dire need.

Israel has killed more than 27,000 people in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Hamas, which took the lives of 1,200 people and took 240 as hostages. The military onslaught has caused mass displacement and destruction and created conditions for famine.