The UN’s humanitarian office expressed worry on Friday about the ongoing conflict in Khan Yunis, which has led to more people seeking refuge in Rafah in the south of Gaza. They described the border town as a place filled with despair and tension.
“We are deeply concerned about the increasing hostilities in Khan Yunis, which has resulted in a growing number of internally displaced people seeking safety in Rafah in the past few days,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Thousands of Palestinians have continued to flee to the south, where over half the population of around 2.3 million people is already seeking shelter. Rafah is filled with despair, and we are worried about what will happen next.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Thursday that the successful operations in Khan Yunis allowed Israeli forces to move towards Rafah on Gaza’s southern border.
More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge in this area.
An Israeli tank stands amid the rubble as Palestinians flee Khan Yunis on January 27, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
“We are accomplishing our objectives in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah and remove the terror elements threatening us,” Gallant stated.
UNICEF reports that almost all of Gaza’s children need mental health support
UNICEF estimated on Friday that about 17,000 children in Gaza were unaccompanied or had been separated from their families during the conflict. They also mentioned that nearly all of the children in the enclave require mental health support.
“They are displaying symptoms such as extremely high levels of ongoing anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep, emotional outbursts, or panic every time a bombing occurs,” said Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF’s chief of communication for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
“Before this war, UNICEF believed that about 500,000 children in Gaza already needed mental health and psychosocial support. Today, we estimate that almost all children require this support, which amounts to more than 1 million children.”
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