1.3 million people displaced

More than 1.3 million people displaced from Rafah to other parts of Gaza within 6 weeks, UN agency says

From CNN's Kareem Khadder in Jerusalem

More than 1.3 million people are believed to have been displaced from Rafah to other parts of Gaza in a span of six weeks, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“UNRWA estimates that 65,000 people are sheltering in Rafah,” it said on X. “Six weeks ago there were around 1.4 million.”

UNRWA didn’t provide any detail as to where in Gaza those people had been displaced to.

“Since the war began, families in Gaza have been forced to flee again and again,” the agency added. “They keep looking for safety where there is none.” 

More on displaced Gazans: Last week, the Norwegian Refugee Council outlined in a report that almost a million people — half of Gaza’s population — have been displaced in the past month following Israel’s expanded military operations in Rafah.

The report stated that it is becoming increasingly difficult for displaced people in Gaza to relocate, facing issues such as clogged streets, overcrowding, fuel shortages, and a sixfold surge in transport costs. It also warned of a rise in Hepatitis A cases, with the accumulation of solid waste becoming a “critical problem.”