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Evacuation of Refugees in Rafah to Supposed Safe Zone is ‘Illusion’ - UN

© AFP 2023 / Mohammed AbedRescue workers survey the scene following Israeli bombardments over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024
Rescue workers survey the scene following Israeli bombardments over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024 - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.02.2024
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GENEVA (Sputnik) - The evacuation of refugees from the Rafah city to the supposed safe zone is an illusion, as there is no safe place in the Gaza Strip, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths has said.
"There is not anywhere safe for people to go in Gaza, it is an illusion to think there is some wonderful part of Gaza where you can go and be safe from the war because the displacement continues ... as the war spreads," Griffiths said, commenting on the evacuation of people from Rafah.
Critical infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including medical facilities, is being systematically destroyed, which makes it impossible for international organizations to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the war, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Secretary General Christopher Lockyer said.
A Palestinian sits in his house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Feb.10, 2024 - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.02.2024
Analysis
Israel Faces ‘No Repercussions’ From ‘Toothless’ White House
A total of 827 attacks on medical facilities in the enclave have been registered since October 7, 2023, Altaf Musani, the World Health Organization Director of the Health Emergencies Interventions said. The number includes attacks on hospitals, patients, personnel and ambulances, he added.

On October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip-controlling Hamas movement launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others were abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 28,663 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
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