UN warns of ‘catastrophe’ if Israel attacks Rafah

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned of a "catastrophe" in the event of an Israeli military offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Austrian television ORF on Thursday evening, Turk once again called for a "cease-fire for humanitarian reasons."

"I don't even know what other words to use. But that would be unthinkable," Turk replied when asked about a possible Israeli attack on Rafah.

During the interview, the UN official pointed out that around 1.5 million people live in Rafah in a confined space.

According to Turk, the Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, which is why he had doubts about Israel's announcement to move the civilian population to safe zones before an attack.

The 59-year-old Austrian went on to explain that most of the north in particular had already been destroyed. According to Turk, he did not know "where the people could still find protection."

He also pointed out that the United Nations was not aware of any Israeli plans for an evacuation.

He added: "And it seems to me almost impossible to carry out such a thing. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is extremely precarious."

In the north, in particular, it was "almost impossible to get any real humanitarian aid," Turk said. The population is suffering under extreme conditions.

What is needed in the Gaza Strip is humanitarian aid, "but it is not getting in to the extent that it needs to," the UN official added.

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 31,490 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 73,439 injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.