Orders to Evacuate Rafah ‘Inhumane’, Says Turk

On Monday, the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, warned that Israel's orders for Palestinians to leave parts of Rafah in advance of a new offensive would only worsen civilian deaths and suffering.

According to Turk, these offensive actions could amount to war crimes and lamented that months of "relentless strikes" by Israel across the enclave have left no other location except Rafah with the infrastructure and resources to host the mass displacement of over 1.2 million Palestinians. The Palestinians, who are sheltering in tents and overcrowded schools in Rafah, are now being instructed to relocate to Al-Mawasi, an area that is already overcrowded and lacking basic amenities.

Turk also called the Israeli orders to move Palestinians "inhumane" and has expressed concern that they risk exposing them to further danger and misery. He added that such actions "can sometimes amount to a war crime".

“Gazans continue to be hit with bombs, disease, and even famine. And today, they have been told that they must relocate yet again as Israeli military operations into Rafah scale up,” he said. “This is inhumane.”