AMMAN, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), UNRWA has warned that the continued failure to operate the Rafah border crossing at full capacity will keep the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip unchanged.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said that the absence of meaningful improvement in Gaza would inevitably result in further loss of life.
“If a crossing like Rafah is not allowed to function at scale, the humanitarian consequences on the ground are not going to be alleviated quickly enough. This means more lives lost,” Fowler told the BBC.
“Medical evacuations remain too limited and aid flows are far below what is needed, while Gaza’s health system has largely collapsed and humanitarian needs are overwhelming,” the spokesman said.
For his part, Sam Rose, acting director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, told the same British satellite channel that the agency estimates that around 20,000 people need urgent medical care, warning that the longer it takes for patients to get out, the more likely it is that they will die or suffer even further.
“Limited medical evacuations via Rafah offer a starting point, but needs in Gaza remain overwhelming. Access is tightly restricted, health services are devastated, and delays continue to put lives at risk,” Rose added.
“UNRWA remains on the ground responding where possible amid severe constraints,” he noted.
