UN aid agency estimates about 300,000 people have fled Rafah

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said on Sunday that it estimates around 300,000 people have fled Rafah ahead of a possible full-scale invasion by Israel.

“As the forced and inhumane displacement of Palestinians continues, @UNRWA estimates that approximately 300,000 people were evacuated from Rafah last week. There is nowhere safe to go. Safe to go. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe to go,” UNRWA wrote on its social media platform. X.

UNRWA is the United Nations agency that provides relief to Palestinian refugees. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also stated: on social media Approximately 300,000 Gazans have migrated from Rafah to the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.

Israel has been planning the operation into Rafah for months, despite the Biden administration’s repeated warnings against the operation without a plan to protect civilians. Israel moved into Rafah last week and occupied a border crossing to provide humanitarian aid, but has not yet launched a broader operation.

Israel ordered new evacuations in Rafah on Saturday as it plans to expand its military operations. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the United States has not yet seen a plan from Israel on how it plans to protect civilians.

“We believe two things. First, we need to have a clear and credible plan to protect civilians, which we have not yet seen. Second, in Gaza We also need to see a plan for what happens after the conflict begins and ends,” Blinken said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“As we see in Rafah, they may infiltrate and have some initial success, but…it can come at an incredibly high cost to civilians. It’s not durable and it’s not sustainable,” he later added.

Biden said last week that the United States would stop sending offensive weapons to Israel if it invaded Rafah. The Biden administration also announced last week that it would postpone some arms shipments to Israel as a full-scale invasion of Rafah looms.

The World Food Program also warned on Saturday against a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

“Families are once again on the move in search of shelter, food and water, but resources are dwindling. Access to life-saving aid must be maintained until a ceasefire is agreed. Rafah “A full-scale invasion of the United States would be devastating,” the program states. I have written.