The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says the Gaza Strip is becoming an “uninhabitable place” as Israel continues its genocidal aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory.
“Gaza is the worst place on earth, and the enclave is being transformed into an uninhabitable place,” UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said on Tuesday amid reports that the devastating Israeli war has left most of Gaza’s homes in ruins.
There are currently 1.9 million displaced people across Gaza, of whom around 1.4 million seek shelter in 155 schools and shelters run by the United Nations, he added.
Abu Hasna also said that most of Gaza’s population is being forced to flee to the southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt.
“There are around 1.4 million displaced people in Rafah and this figure is likely to rise to 1.5 million,” he predicted.
He further warned that the displacement of the entire Gaza population to Rafah exceeds existing capacities to provide assistance to them, noting, “UNRWA cannot cope with the unfolding collapse.”
📍#Gaza Almost an entire population forcibly displaced
Families search for safety where there is none
Health system rapidly collapsing
Famine looms
Unprecedented levels of depravation
People driven to despair
An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is a matter of life and death pic.twitter.com/kfMf2ngtVM
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 9, 2024
Israel waged the brutal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group carried out an unprecedented operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
So far, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 23,210 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 59,167 others.
Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in the Gaza Strip, which is under “complete siege” by Israel.