The number of Palestinians who have fled during the last four days from the city of Rafah, on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, due to the increase in bombing and after the start on Tuesday of a military incursion into the city by part of Israel has increased to around 110,000, according to the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“UNRWA estimates that around 110,000 people have already fled Rafah seeking safety, but there is nowhere safe and living conditions are atrocious,” the agency said in a message on its account on the social network X.
Thus, he stressed that given the “intensification” of bombing by the Israeli Army against the city, “the forced displacement continues.” “The only hope is an immediate ceasefire,” said UNRWA, amid international alerts about the worsening of the situation.
For its part, the Israeli Army has confirmed new operations during the last day in Rafá, where it would have found “multiple tunnels.” “On the Gaza side of the Rafah Pass, the 401st Brigade Combat Team eliminated several terrorist squads in face-to-face engagements and closing circles from the air,” he said.
In this sense, he stressed that fighter jets carried out bombings against “several areas of Rafah” from which “projectiles and mortars were launched in recent days towards Israeli territory and the Kerem Shalom pass”, including an attack on Sunday in which four Israeli soldiers died.
The Israeli Army has also stated that it has carried out operations in Gaza City (north) to “continue dismantling terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists”, including bombings against “targets” of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
In total, during the last day at least 40 “terrorist targets” were bombed, including “military buildings, observation posts, terrorist squads and other military infrastructure,” according to the Israeli Army, which added that it has also attacked “positions anti-tank and tunnels” in different parts of the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli Army announced on Tuesday control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt, suspending humanitarian operations, which has increased international concern about the deepening humanitarian crisis. The operation was launched after rejecting a ceasefire proposal previously accepted by Hamas.
During Wednesday’s day, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, stated for the first time that he will stop sending weapons to Israel in case it begins a large-scale incursion into Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians take refuge. , most of them displaced from other parts of the enclave after more than seven months of offensive, considering that it could be used to kill civilians.