Family arriving with belongings in Khan Younis

Bisan visited Khan Younis and witnessed the destruction facing families returning to the area. She was shocked by what she saw, as most of the area was reduced to rubble. Bisan describes seeing families digging through the rubble and pitching tents in the area without adequate access to food and water. Bisan/Save the Children

All Eyes on Rafah: What’s next for children in Gaza?

10 May 2024 Global

On 6 May, Israeli forces ordered thousands of people to flee parts of Rafah. Over a million - 600,000 children - are at risk of forced displacement.

Children are being forced into danger yet again in Gaza. 

We had already run out of words to describe how catastrophic the situation is in Rafah - but this next chapter will take it to indescribable new levels. 

CHILDREN IN GAZA HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO FLEE. YOUR SUPPORT IS URGENTLY NEEDED.

Here is everything you need to know about what is happening in Gaza right now: 

What’s happening? 

Since October, more than half of Gaza’s population have fled to Rafah as a result of Israeli authorities forcing them out of other areas in Gaza. Many are injured, or simply too old, ill, or weak to move again.  

But on Monday 6 May, Israeli forces started ordering thousands of people to flee parts of Rafah. Over a million - 600,000 of them children - are at risk of forced displacement as they remain sheltering in Rafah.  

Israeli authorities are repeatedly forcing Palestinian families to move, pushing them into smaller and smaller areas whilst increasing attacks in Rafah.

For weeks we have been warning there is no feasible evacuation plan to lawfully displace and protect civilians. 

The worst-case scenario we feared is becoming a reality. There is nowhere safe left for people to go. 

4:5 SHARECARD Nowhere safe left to go MAP explainer, Gaza escalation

What about aid?  

The takeover by Israeli forces of the Rafah crossing is blocking the primary entry point for aid.  

No aid has entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing since Sunday 5 May, meaning Save the Children and other aid agencies are no longer able to get new supplies and assistance into Gaza.  

There is nowhere safe in Gaza, and, under current restrictions, there is nowhere people can access the basics needed for them to survive. 

Forcibly displacing Palestinian families from Rafah while further disrupting aid will likely seal the fate of many children. 

What will families face next? 

Increased airstrikes in Gaza over the last couple of days have already claimed dozens of lives.  

Families fleeing Rafah now face further violence, hunger, and suffering.  

The lives of one million children hang in the balance.

What are we demanding? 

Israeli forces must halt, not expand, operations in Rafah and must open all available land crossings to allow aid to enter. 

Palestinian children's survival depends on it.  

We are calling for an immediate and definitive Ceasefire Now and unrestricted humanitarian aid access. 

Join our calls to stop the war on children and demand an immediate ceasefire now. It's the only way to protect lives.

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