UNRWA slams Israel’s Rafah ‘humanitarian city’ as ‘open-air prison’

UNRWA spokesperson Tamara al-Rifai condemned Israel’s proposed "humanitarian city" in Rafah as a violation of humanitarian principles, arguing it would transform Gaza into an even more confined open-air prison.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Amman, she dismissed the plan as unfeasible given Gaza’s destruction and the collapse of aid systems, noting UN agencies have been blocked since March while lethal food queues replace proper distribution.
Al-Rifai linked the GHF’s controversial aid sites to forced displacement, with 90% of Gazans already displaced 10 times amid relentless bombardment.
She warned that the siege on principled humanitarian work risks worsening the "apocalyptic" crisis, stressing UNRWA’s critical role in preventing total collapse.
The UN has rejected the Rafah plan at the highest level, with Secretary-General Guterres opposing Israel’s undermining of neutral aid frameworks.
Al-Rifai emphasised that a true humanitarian space requires freedom, schools, and hospitals, not ruins under military control.

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Post from Al Jazeera on July 08, 2025

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