The head of UNRWA assures that the images of the attack on Rafá prove that “it has become hell”

May 28. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The commissioner general of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has assured that the images of the Israeli attack on Sunday against a displaced persons camp in the city of Rafá, in the south of the Strip of Gaza and which has left at least 45 dead, are proof that the city “has become hell on earth.”

“The images that come from Rafá since last night are heartbreaking. Among the fatalities are children and women living in plastic tents. Many were injured. Others were burned to death. The images from last night are testimony to how Rafá has become hell on earth,” Lazzarini has published on his X social network account.

In addition, he has acknowledged the “extreme difficulty” of contacting UNRWA workers in part because some are missing, and has indicated that more deaths may be reported as a result of the bombing of a “densely populated” area that had been designated by Israel as safe for civilians.

After this, he has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continue sending and distributing humanitarian aid among the population despite the fact that every day this work “becomes almost impossible” due to the continuous attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Army. Israeli and by Israel’s restrictions.

“Of the 200 trucks with humanitarian supplies unloaded yesterday on the Palestinian side, only 30 have been collected due to severe movement restrictions, continued airstrikes by Israeli forces and rocket fire by Hamas, and delays and limitations on the routes that can be used. These are all additional challenges and restrictions that do not allow us to distribute aid even more strangling the humanitarian operation on which 2 million people throughout Gaza depend,” he added.

Finally, he has taken up the words of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, to continue calling for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the application of the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop the offensive. Israeli on Rafah.

The impact of the bombing has been such that, according to diplomatic sources consulted by the Al Jazeera television network, the UN Security Council is going to hold an emergency meeting behind closed doors at the request of Algeria to discuss these attacks.

Different Palestinian media broadcast images of the attack, where the majority of victims are women and children, showing a large fire in the camp and bodies of Palestinians under rubble, charred or mutilated.

The Israeli Army claimed responsibility for the bombing and argued that the target was “a compound of the Hamas terrorist organization in Rafah in which high-ranking terrorists were housed.” The Israeli authorities claimed to have used precision weapons and to have relied on intelligence information.

However, he also acknowledged that “as a result of the attack and a fire that broke out in the area, several people other than those involved were injured” and stated that he is “reviewing” the incident. Afterwards, the chief prosecutor of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the event as “very serious” and stressed that an investigation is underway.