At a press briefing by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Refugees International, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and other groups, Avril Benoit, executive director of MSF-USA, told reporters that a potential invasion of the city of Rafah could transform the southern Gaza City into a "graveyard" and exacerbate the imminent risk of famine.

"The consequences of a full-scale assault on Rafah are truly unimaginable," Benoit told reporters. "Carrying out a military offensive there would turn it into a graveyard."

The city of Rafah, which currently houses 1.4 million Palestinians in tent camps and shelters, is the "end of the line," Benoit said. 

"It's the last hub of healthcare services and humanitarian assistance for the people in Gaza," she said. "Attacking Rafah effectively means cutting off the lifelines of people who have already lost everything except their lives."

Aid delivery impeded by Israeli aggressions

Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, stated that due to Israeli strikes, it has become "virtually impossible" for humanitarian organizations to operate safely within Gaza, thereby increasing the risk of famine.

"People, mostly at this point in the north, are already right on the brink of famine," Konyndyk said. "The risk here, if there is not a meaningful humanitarian operation allowed to operate in an unfettered way at scale throughout Gaza, is famine."

"And that famine will occur not because of any natural phenomenon but simply because of the manner in which this war is being conducted and the persistent and intentional denials of humanitarian access principally by the Israeli government."

Konyndyk also highlighted that the idea of safely evacuating the population of Rafah is a "mirage," as there are no other safe destinations available for them.

Read more: UN agencies warn of 'explosion' in Gaza child deaths

Related News

Gaza MoH confirms over 69,000 Palestinians killed

Jewish figures call for sanctions on 'Israel' over Gaza genocide

Ceasefire sole solution to crisis

Benoit said that MSF teams on the ground witness patients unable to access necessary medical care due to ongoing attacks on healthcare facilities, and called on the US and other nations to push for a ceasefire.

"A ceasefire is the only way to prevent more deaths and suffering in Gaza," she said. "Our teams on the ground continue to witness patients unable to access the medical care they need due to repeated and persistent attacks on healthcare facilities and their surroundings."

"One of our doctors in Rafah recently told us that she's writing the names of her children on their arms and legs so that they can be identified easily if killed in a bombing," she said.

World Food Programme cuts aid in northern Gaza

Earlier in the day, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it had suspended aid supplies to the northern parts of Gaza after a convoy of trucks was reportedly looted.

The agency said that a convoy that was on its way to the north after a three-week halt "faced complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order."

The agency is well aware that food and water are already scarce, and the situation in the Strip exposes "unprecedented levels of desperation," as reported by its teams.

WFP said it planned to deploy trucks of food daily for seven days, but on Sunday the convoy had to 'fend off' the starving residents' attempts to "climb aboard our trucks, then facing gunfire once we entered Gaza City."

"Several trucks were looted... and a truck driver was beaten. The remaining flour was spontaneously distributed off the trucks in Gaza City amidst high tension and explosive anger," it added.

The WFP stated that it was compelled to halt the deliveries "until conditions are in place that allow for safe distributions," adding that the decision was not taken lightly because it "means the situation there will deteriorate further and more people risk dying of hunger".

Read more: 'Israel' destroys Gaza UNRWA rehab center for visually impaired

As part of efforts to phase out aid in the Strip, "Israel" has been boycotting crucial aid agencies, including UNRWA, which has been the subject of unfounded accusations by the Israeli regime.

Last Saturday, in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tamedia, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated that the Israeli regime had been actively working on dismantling the agency and that these efforts were part of a "concerted campaign" with long-term political goals.