WHO: Attack on Rafah Will Cause "Unimaginable Catastrophe"

The World Health Organization warned today, Wednesday, that "conducting an Israeli military attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza could lead to an 'unimaginable catastrophe,' pushing the health system in the region closer to the brink." Richard Papeerkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza and the West Bank, stated that "military operations in this densely populated area would certainly be an unimaginable disaster...and would further exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe beyond imagination." The United Nations indicated that "any Israeli attack in Rafah could lead to a massacre." The Israeli army claims it aims to flush out Palestinian militants from their hideouts in Rafah and free Israeli hostages held there since the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) attacked Israel on October 7, but has not provided details on a proposed plan to evacuate civilians. Over a million Palestinians are crowded in Rafah at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, where many live in camps and temporary shelters after fleeing Israeli bombardment in other parts of Gaza.