UNICEF spokesperson:
"Our worst fear, the nightmare of Gazans, appears to be a reality. A reality that those in power have the ability to prevent."
She said that Rafah is a children's city, as more than half of Gaza's children live in Rafah.
"The events of last weekend in Gaza - the continued killing of children, further attacks by the warring parties and now evacuation orders. We expose once again how the parties to this conflict continue to completely ignore the lives and protection of children and civilians," he declared.
"That has to change. In fact, this is the last chance for this to change," he urged, adding: "Aid must flow. The hostages must be freed. Rafah must not be invaded. And the children must no longer be murdered."
The spokesman stressed that Rafah is the entry point for most of the aid that reaches Gaza.
"A military strike, at best, will greatly complicate the delivery of aid. If the Rafah gate is closed for an extended period, it is difficult to see how famine in Gaza can be avoided," he warned.
He also said that Rafah is home to what is now the "largest remaining hospital" in Gaza, the European Hospital, and said: "Amid the systematic devastation of Gaza's health system, the European Hospital in Rafah is one of the last means of life for civilians.
The conditions in Rafah are deplorable in humanitarian aspects, and for example there is approximately one bathroom for every 850 people and one shower for every 3,500 people.
UNICEF also notes that hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah have a disability, medical condition or vulnerability that puts them in "even greater danger" and makes relocation much more difficult.
"Our worst fear, the nightmare of Gazans, appears to be a reality. A reality that those in power have the ability to prevent."
She said that Rafah is a children's city, as more than half of Gaza's children live in Rafah.
"The events of last weekend in Gaza - the continued killing of children, further attacks by the warring parties and now evacuation orders. We expose once again how the parties to this conflict continue to completely ignore the lives and protection of children and civilians," he declared.
"That has to change. In fact, this is the last chance for this to change," he urged, adding: "Aid must flow. The hostages must be freed. Rafah must not be invaded. And the children must no longer be murdered."
The spokesman stressed that Rafah is the entry point for most of the aid that reaches Gaza.
"A military strike, at best, will greatly complicate the delivery of aid. If the Rafah gate is closed for an extended period, it is difficult to see how famine in Gaza can be avoided," he warned.
He also said that Rafah is home to what is now the "largest remaining hospital" in Gaza, the European Hospital, and said: "Amid the systematic devastation of Gaza's health system, the European Hospital in Rafah is one of the last means of life for civilians.
The conditions in Rafah are deplorable in humanitarian aspects, and for example there is approximately one bathroom for every 850 people and one shower for every 3,500 people.
UNICEF also notes that hundreds of thousands of children in Rafah have a disability, medical condition or vulnerability that puts them in "even greater danger" and makes relocation much more difficult.
Was expected from the jump, they know for a while that the Hamas is redeploying its militants in northern Gaza
