UN emergency relief chief warns of consequences of Israeli ground offensive against Rafah

CAIRO – 15 February 2024: UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths warned of the consequences of any possible Israeli ground offensive on the city of Rafah.

In an interview to the N News’s Daniel Johnson, Griffiths said: "I do fear a slaughter of people in Gaza. And the reason why I'm speaking out so clearly about this now is that I think there is a choice being made one way or the other, whether to move military operations into an assault on Rafah.”

“Now, I understand why Israelis might wish to have an assault on Rafah. But the consequences of such an operation are, I am afraid today, a massive impact on the 1.1 million people living there. Quite probably a slaughter because the humanitarian operation has no illusions about it,” he said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday that Israel has not contacted the office about a plan to evacuate the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip, either unilaterally or jointly.

"Israeli officials have never contacted us officially," OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said in a press statement on the planned attack on Rafah. "Apart from that, the United Nations does not participate in forced or involuntary evacuations. There is no plan at this time to facilitate the evacuation of civilians."

Laerke's statement comes amid reports that Israel is planning to launch a military offensive in Rafah, which is the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli government has said that the offensive is necessary to stop rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.