The United Nations warns that the dire situation in Gaza poses a significant risk of causing a record-breaking global displacement.
Death, suffering and displacement threatens to spill out across the Middle East, said Filippo Grandi.
The UN refugee agency has issued a warning that the crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip poses a significant risk of causing additional displacement across the Middle East.
Speaking at the Global Refugee Forum, Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, emphasized that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could destabilize the entire region, potentially leading to a further increase in the global number of displaced people, which currently stands at an all-time high of 144 million.
Grandi described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a major human catastrophe and expressed concern that the Security Council has failed to stop the violence. He foresaw the possibility of more civilian deaths, suffering, and displacement that could threaten the entire region.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) reported that nearly 1.9 million people, representing more than 85 percent of Gaza’s population, have been displaced since the Israeli bombardments began in early October. Grandi had previously called for a humanitarian ceasefire to prevent further massive displacement in Gaza.
Warnings of a broader displacement of Palestinians have emerged as Israel’s forces advanced across the entire enclave, disregarding the designation of the south as a safe zone. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of implementing a policy to push Palestinians out, suggesting it meets the legal definition of genocide.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, accused Israel of seeking a mass expulsion of Gazans into Egypt, a notion firmly rejected by the United Nations and several member states, including the United States.
Grandi urged participants at the Global Refugee Forum not to overlook other pressing humanitarian and refugee crises, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan, and the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
He emphasized that conflicts and crises had already led to record displacement, with over 114 million people displaced worldwide by the end of September.
Grandi called for unity at the forum, urging collective efforts to ensure protection for those fleeing due to threats to their life, freedom, and security, and to resolve their exile as soon as possible.
SOURCE:
Aljazeera
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