GENEVA, Friday, May 17, 2024 (WAFA) - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a post on its X account that over 630,000 people have been forced to flee the area since the Israeli military offensive on the city of Rafah started on May 6.

“Many have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah, which is now unbearably overcrowded with dire conditions,” said UNRWA.

UNRWA in another post on X platform expressed concern over the fate of children in Gaza, stating: “Everyone is concerned about the future of the children.”

“These children deserve a future: we need an immediate ceasefire.”

The UN Relief Agency stressed that UNRWA teachers are using any hall space and makeshift classrooms to provide education to thousands of children in Gaza amidst displacement and brutal aggression on Gaza.

On May 6, the Israeli occupation began a military operation in Rafah, occupying the Palestinian side of the city, in total disregard of regional and international warnings of the consequences of such an offensive.

The United Nations previously warned that aid efforts face a looming threat due to lack of fuel, stressing the urgent need to open land crossings with the Gaza Strip and scale up the flow of humanitarian aid delivery into the Strip at the scale needed.

T.R.