'History will not be kind; this war must end': UN relief chief
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Martin Griffiths says the entire Gaza population, including those in Rafah, is enduring an unprecedented assault marked by its intensity, brutality, and extensive reach.
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Palestinian children inspect the damage in the rubble of a residential destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. (AFP)
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths cautioned that a military offensive in Rafah poses a grave risk of leading to a "slaughter in Gaza" and jeopardizing a "fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door."
Griffiths emphasized that the apprehended scenario is unfolding rapidly and alarmingly. He reiterated that over 1 million people, constituting more than half of Gaza's population, are concentrated in Rafah, facing imminent death with severe shortages of food, limited access to medical assistance, and a lack of safe shelter.
The scenario we have long dreaded is unraveling at alarming speed.
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) February 13, 2024
Today, I’m sounding the alarm once again: Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza. They could also leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door.https://t.co/oXpMNkVx75 pic.twitter.com/rUNfCGRIDK
The entire Gaza population, including those in Rafah, is enduring an unprecedented assault marked by its intensity, brutality, and extensive reach, as per Griffiths.
He further stated that over 28,000 Palestinians were reportedly killed, with the majority being women and children, as a result of Israeli aggression, as per Gaza's Ministry of Health.
"For more than four months, humanitarian workers have been doing the near-impossible to assist people in need, despite the risks they themselves were facing and the traumas they were enduring," Griffiths warned, adding that "no amount of dedication and goodwill is enough to keep millions of people alive, fed, and protected – while the bombs are falling and the aid is choked off."
He continued by stating that contributing to this situation is the prevailing sense of hopelessness and the withdrawal of funding from UNRWA. Consequently, the UN relief chief added that humanitarian workers are constantly threatened by gunfire, hostage situations, and fatal attacks amid the ongoing Israeli genocidal war.
The global community has consistently cautioned about the perilous repercussions of a ground invasion in Rafah, he said, adding, "The Government of Israel cannot continue to ignore these calls."
"History will not be kind; this war must end," he concluded by saying.
Read more: Humanitarian mission rendered impossible, Gaza 'uninhabitable': UN
