As the bombardment by Israeli forces escalates in Rafah, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported on X that the situation continues to force the displacement of civilians. “Approximately 110,000 individuals have now evacuated Rafah in search of safety. However, safety remains elusive throughout the Gaza Strip, with living conditions deteriorating significantly. The pressing need is for an immediate ceasefire,” the agency stated.
Since Israeli tanks entered the Rafah border crossing on Monday, UN aid organizations have increasingly expressed concern that humanitarian efforts across the enclave have been severely hampered. “If humanitarian operations are not resumed within the next 48 hours, the situation will only worsen,” warned Hamish Young, Senior Emergency Coordinator for UNICEF in Gaza.
In a related incident, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned an attack by protesters on an UNRWA facility in Jerusalem. “I strongly condemn the recent assault on UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem. Targeting humanitarian workers and resources is unacceptable and must cease,” Guterres stated on X. His remarks echoed those of UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who noted that Israeli residents had twice “set fire to the perimeter” of the agency’s headquarters, marking the second attack in a week amidst ongoing protests.
In Gaza, UNRWA’s latest images from Rafah depict a continuous flow of individuals leaving the eastern part of the city with vehicles, motorbikes, and donkey carts loaded with their possessions, responding to Israeli military evacuation orders. Many of the displaced are heading towards Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, yet these locations are lacking in essential services necessary for civilians seeking food, shelter, and medical care, according to aid organizations.
Mr. Young remarked that the roads leading to Al Mawasi, the designated coastal area for relocation, “are congested.” Speaking via video link from Rafah to journalists in Geneva, he described chaotic scenes of families being uprooted yet again, with “numerous trucks, buses, cars, and donkey carts filled with people and belongings” continuing to leave the southern city. “People I speak to express exhaustion and fear, knowing that life in Al Mawasi will be unbearably difficult once more,” he added. “Families are without adequate sanitation, drinking water, and shelter. Many are constructing makeshift toilets by digging holes around clusters of tents, leading to an increase in open defecation.”
One father shared with me that he felt he had no good choices left. As he explained his destination, he began to weep, prompting his children to cry and ask him what they should do. “It’s an incredibly tragic situation, and there is simply no safe place in Gaza for children.”
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths stated, “Civilians in Gaza are being deprived of food and are being killed… This is the reality of Gaza today.” On Thursday, he warned that for several days, “nothing and no one has been permitted to enter or exit Gaza.” The closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings—the primary entry points for essential aid, such as food, water, fuel, and medical supplies—means “no aid,” he continued. “Our supplies are stuck. Our teams are stuck,” he noted, a sentiment echoed by aid groups whose assessment missions have been halted due to fuel shortages. Civilians are repeatedly fleeing from intense bombardment and conflict while “we are unable to assist them,” the emergency relief chief insisted.
Furthermore, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that its main warehouse in Gaza has become inaccessible. “Our primary warehouse is currently unreachable. No aid has crossed from southern crossings in two days,” stated WFP Palestine Country Director ad interim Matthew Hollingworth on X late Thursday. “Thousands of individuals are on the move. Only one bakery remains operational, and food and fuel supplies in Gaza are expected to last only one to three days. Without these resources, our operations will cease.”
The situation for remaining medical facilities in the enclave is equally grim, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that “without fuel, the entire system will collapse.” WHO, responsible for fuel distribution to all hospitals in Gaza, has had to pause missions to the north to sustain those in the south, according to spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris. “All medical functions performed by hospitals will cease, even if someone has been stabilized post-surgery; if the ventilator stops, they will no longer breathe.”
The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) indicated that the following healthcare facilities are projected to run out of fuel within the next 24 hours, as reported by Gazan authorities:
– Five hospitals operated by the Ministry of Health
– 28 ambulances (14 from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and 14 from the health ministry)
– 17 primary healthcare centers managed by UNRWA and other partners
– Five field hospitals
– 10 mobile clinics providing immunizations, trauma care, and malnutrition services
– 23 medical facilities in Al Mawasi
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell also warned that services for premature infants risk losing power without fuel supplies reaching Gaza. “We require fuel to transport lifesaving supplies—medications, malnutrition treatments, tents, and water pipes—as well as to deploy staff to assist children and families in need.” Without new aid supplies, children and families face dehydration or must resort to unsafe drinking water, while sewage treatment facilities “will overflow and spread diseases.”
According to UNICEF, about 80 infants are born daily at Emirati Hospital, but it “cannot operate” without fuel, Mr. Young stated, emphasizing that pregnant women are left without safe delivery options. “As we have witnessed in other regions of Gaza over the past seven months, when hospitals run out of fuel, critical equipment such as ventilators and incubators cease to function.”
As reported by Gazan health authorities, at least 34,900 individuals have lost their lives and over 78,500 have been injured due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment and ground operations in Gaza since October 7. Approximately 1,250 individuals were killed in Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that initiated the conflict, with more than 250 individuals taken hostage, many of whom remain unaccounted for.
In a statement on Friday, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed his disapproval of any military actions that hinder the “entry and distribution of urgently needed humanitarian assistance” to Gaza. “The limited land crossings into Gaza are essential for delivering food, medicine, fuel, and other necessities that must reach the desperate and fearful population,” he stated. He urged all parties involved in the conflict to “immediately lay down their weapons” to ensure that crossings for civilians and vital goods reach people in Gaza without delay and without risk from military operations.
On the same day, members of the Security Council expressed “deep concern” regarding reports of mass graves discovered in and around the Nasser and Al Shifa medical facilities in Gaza, where several hundred bodies, including women, children, and the elderly, have been found. They emphasized the need for accountability regarding violations of international law and called for “investigators to be granted unimpeded access to all mass grave sites in Gaza to carry out immediate, independent, thorough, comprehensive, transparent, and impartial investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding these graves.” The members also reiterated their demand for all parties to “strictly adhere” to their obligations under international law, particularly regarding the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and reaffirmed the importance of allowing families to learn the fate and whereabouts of their missing loved ones.
Additionally, UN independent human rights experts expressed concern on Friday over statements made by some US and Israeli officials threatening retaliation against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its personnel and their families. “At a time when the global community should unite to halt the horrific violence in Gaza and seek justice for those unlawfully killed, injured, traumatized, or taken hostage since October 7, it is alarming to witness state officials threatening repercussions against a Court pursuing international justice,” the experts stated. The Office of the Prosecutor condemned these statements, reminding that under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, any threats of retaliation may be deemed a crime against the administration of justice. “Such threats against justice personnel violate human rights norms and exceed the acceptable limits of freedom of expression. We urge all states to respect the independence of the Court as a judicial body and safeguard the integrity and impartiality of those who serve within the Court.”
