UN: 600,000 Palestinians Displaced from Rafah since May 6

Author: Pradhnya Anindya Dewanti
May 16, 2024

600,000 Palestinians Displaced from Rafah Since May 6. (Photo: UNRWA)

SEAToday.com, Geneva - The United Nations stated on Wednesday (5/15) that around 600,000 Palestinians, or a quarter of Gaza’s population, had been displaced from Rafah since the start of Israeli ground operations on May 6.

Of the 600,000 displaced people, the UN estimated 150,000 left Rafah only in the past 48 hours.

Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António, Farhan Haq, stated that the number of people had also been displaced repeatedly since October. He stated that the civilians in Gaza must be protected, regardless of whether they move or stay. He also urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law at all times.

Updates from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reported that the Israeli military issued two new evacuation orders to the neighborhood in northern Gaza, bringing the number of the issued orders to five. As a result, another 100,000 people were also displaced from the north in the last week.