Humanitarian crisis deepens in Rafah as Palestinians flee Gaza

By Osama Kahlout

An escalating number of Palestinians continue to seek refuge in Rafah City, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the city.

The growing exodus reflects the pressing challenges faced by the population amidst the worsening humanitarian conditions.

"Forty members of my family fell victim to Israeli air strikes, compelling us to flee Gaza and seek refuge in Unrwa Schools at Al-Nusairat Refugee Camp. The school was severely overcrowded, and the children were terrified by the bombardment, nervously biting their nails," Ftama al-Bahtini, a woman displaced from Gaza to Rafah, told Middle East Eye.

She added that they have not been able to receive any aid. Sanitation facilities are scarce and they are left to stay on the floor without any tents, she said.

Um Mohammed, who is now displaced in Rafah, told MEE that she fled from al-Shuga'ya to al-Shefa. She believed she would die there, but miraculously survived.

"My children were targeted by a sniper as they looked out from a window. As the tank shelling intensified, we were forced to flee the camp," she said. "Along the way, a pregnant woman in her ninth month was tragically hit by a shrapnel that severed her head. Fearing for our lives, we decided to come to this area in Rafah last night, with no tents or aids."

Ibtisam, 13, told MEE that they desperately need help."

I wish we could live like other children abroad. Please help us reach a ceasefire. I slept on the sand last night, and it was raining on me. I hope to sleep among the rubble of my house without feeling dehumanised here. Please save us. Some people pity us and allow us to sleep in their tents."