The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has announced the suspension of its operations in Rafah, as Israeli armed forces continue their ground operations in the city at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip since early May.
Philip Lazarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, stated via X yesterday evening, “The office was forced to suspend the provision of health and other critical services in Rafah.”
Relocation to Khan Yunis
The agency is now primarily operating in Khan Yunis, a few kilometers north of Rafah, and the central part of the enclave. “We have resumed operations in Khan Yunis, despite all our facilities having been damaged,” clarified Lazarini.
A spokesperson for UNRWA confirmed to the German Press Agency that all agency staff has relocated to Khan Yunis, where they have resumed operations despite damage to their facilities. The Israeli army continued its ground operations in Rafah yesterday, ignoring intense international reactions. Israeli political and military leadership considers the city, located on the closed border with Egypt, a refuge for the “last” battalions of the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which vowed to annihilate it after the unprecedented attack on southern areas of Israeli territory on October 7, the catalyst for the war.
According to the Swiss head of UNRWA, 1.7 million Palestinians have now taken refuge in Khan Yunis and Gaza. Lazarini clarified that all 36 shelters of the agency in Rafah are now empty. He emphasized that thousands of violently displaced people are forced to live in the ruins of Khan Yunis, where bombings and battles have been ongoing for months, and the destroyed facilities of UNRWA in the refugee camp in Jabalia.
