As the Israeli operation continued, large numbers of people in the Gaza Strip were forced to evacuate until they reached Rafah, the southernmost city on the border with Egypt. Recently, Israel said it would launch an offensive against Rafah. In response, the United Nations, WHO and the International Organization for Humanitarian Assistance** have all stated that there is no room for residents in the Gaza Strip to continue to evacuate.
Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: Evacuating people to safe areas in the Gaza Strip is an illusion.
Richard Pipercohen, WHO Representative in the Palestinian Territories: Now the people of the Gaza Strip have nowhere to go, there is no room for evacuation.
The president of the ICRC said on 15 February that without a clear evacuation plan, it would be difficult to move such a large number of people to safe areas, which would only cause more suffering for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): If you want to evacuate people before the fighting, it is crucial that large numbers of people pass through roads that have been blown up and areas where bombs have not yet been bombed, and that the evacuation must ensure that the population reaches a place where the conditions for hygiene, safety and nutrition are met. How to transport the disabled, the elderly, the sick, and send so many people to ** are all key issues that need to be solved in advance. There are no clear answers to these questions, no clear plans and workable solutions, and I think people will suffer more.
Many of the displaced people who have taken refuge in Rafah have expressed their refusal to leave the Gaza Strip by staying true to their homeland.
Displaced people: how can we leave our land? How many times do we have to be displaced to stay here? We refuse to go to any other country, we want to stay on our own land. We'd rather stay here in a tent, which is precious to us anyway.
* CCTV news client.
Edited by Hu Weike.
Second instance Liu Juan.
Third trial Zhou Wenjun.