More than a million people have fled Gaza’s southern city of Rafah since Israel launched a ground invasion on May 6 and some have been displaced several times already because of Israeli bombardments, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees has said.
Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the agency known as UNRWA, told a UN press conference that the agency's teams on the ground say heavy bombardments again took place overnight including in the area north of Rafah home to the UN main offices as well as UNRWA's offices. Most of its staff didn’t make it to work and were "packing and moving," she said.
"People are absolutely terrified," Touma said in the video briefing from Jordan. "A lot of people are fleeing to al-Muwasi and they are also fleeing to the middle areas including Deir al-Balah," which are crowded with other displaced Palestinians.
Touma said just over 200 trucks with humanitarian supplies have been picked up for delivery to those in need in the past three weeks, which she called "a drop in the ocean amid people’s humanitarian needs."
Israel carried out fresh strikes on Wednesday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where its forces are battling Hamas, after the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly attack that sparked global outcry.
Despite mounting concern over the civilian toll of its war on Hamas, Israel has shown no sign of changing course and international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire remain stalled.
AFP journalists in Rafah reported new strikes early Wednesday, hours after witnesses and a Palestinian security source said Israeli tanks had penetrated the heart of the city.
"People are currently inside their homes because anyone who moves is being shot at by Israeli drones," resident Abdel Khatib said.
