Majority of Rafah children injured, malnourished, traumatized: UN
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The UN warns that an Israeli invasion of Rafah "would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe," particularly for the children residing there.
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A Palestinian girl holding a child is silhouetted against the lights of an oncoming car in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on May 4, 2024. (AFP)
The United Nations warned Friday of the potential ramifications of a ground Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the severe threat it poses to the lives of approximately 600,000 children in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Tuesday that an invasion of the densely-populated Rafah city will take place regardless of whether an exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance was reached or not.
Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, cautioned during a news conference that an invasion of Rafah "would bring catastrophe on top of catastrophe," particularly for the children residing there, as reported by Anadolu news agency.
Citing UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell's about the the dire situation faced by the children in the city, Haq highlighted that "nearly all of the some 600,000 children in Rafah are either injured, sick, malnourished, traumatized, or living with disabilities."
He also recalled the figures issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), which highlighted the alarming condition of healthcare facilities in Rafah, noting that three of Gaza's 12 currently operational hospitals are in the city.
The spokesperson mentioned that the WHO warned that the medical facilities "will quickly become non-functional if there's a military incursion into Rafah, and then a full scale military operation into Rafah could lead to a bloodbath."
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had warned of possible dire implications for the 1.2 million people sheltering in Rafah.
"WHO is deeply concerned that a full-scale military operation in Rafah, Gaza, could lead to a bloodbath, and further weaken an already broken health system," Tedros said on X.
.@WHO is deeply concerned that a full-scale military operation in Rafah, #Gaza, could lead to a bloodbath, and further weaken an already broken health system https://t.co/96h19H0Ppm
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 3, 2024
Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories, told reporters that an invasion of Rafah could spark a new wave of displacement, leading to more overcrowding, limited access to food, water and sanitation and more outbreaks of disease.
Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said that an invasion "could lead to a slaughter."
"For agencies already struggling to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, a ground invasion would strike a disastrous blow," he told reporters.
"Any ground operation would mean more suffering and death."
In a related context, Haq confirmed that a convoy transporting humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza was attacked by "civilians" in the occupied West Bank, resulting in some damage to the items. He clarified that the convoy later made its way to the Strip.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry mentioned on Wednesday that "two Jordanian aid convoys carrying food, flour, and other humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip were attacked by settlers."
The convoys represented the first significant shipment from Jordan into the Erez crossing, which the Israeli occupation entity had reopened for the first time since October 7 following months of pressure from its biggest ally the United States.
Read more: Eyes forced shut, hospital crammed: Children fill Rafah graveyards
