Situation in Rafah becoming ‘more and more difficult’ for UN staff
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has been delivering a news conference in Brussels in the last few moments.
Discussing the situation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, Philippe Lazzarini warned that it has become “more and more difficult” for staff to operate there.
“Yesterday, for the first time, the UN could not operate without a minimum of protection. Our trucks, our convoys, at the border have been looted and vandalised,” he said.
“The coming days will tell us whether we will be able to continue to operate in this extraordinarily challenging environment.”
Israel has described Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza and signalled that its ground offensive may soon target the city.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into the area is essential to meeting his country’s war goals.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled to Rafah since Israel started its initial ground offensive, with its population swelling to around 1.4 million people.
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