World must demand Israel ceases its brutal attack on Rafah’s 1.4m refugees

No one could fail to be appalled by the increasingly hellish conditions people in Gaza have been forced to endure over the last four months. But inconceivable though it may seem, things will get a whole lot worse.

Israel’s planned ground invasion into Rafah will spell utter disaster for the already starving, desperate and traumatised population.

Some 1.4 million people, more than half of Gaza’s entire population, have sought shelter in the Rafah governate — five times its population before this war began.

Designated a safe zone by the Israeli military, people have been arriving in their hundreds each day, with shelters so over capacity that thousands are forced to live in flimsy tents that provide little protection from the rain and cold.

Rafah is now so overcrowded that some roads are impassable due to the number of tents crowded on to them, tents that in some cases house up to 12 people.

Airstrikes and a ground offensive, in an area where so many people are squeezed into such a small space, will undoubtedly result in high numbers of casualties. Yet already the last few days have seen Rafah come under increased bombardment. People there are trapped: there is no safe place left for them to go.

Now is the time for the entire international community to stand together and demand Israel halt any further military operation into the area.

The prospect of a further escalation in attacks is bringing panic and distress to people who are already suffering unimaginable trauma.

Every single person in Gaza is hungry, with more and more people experiencing “near famine-like conditions” by the day, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Overcrowding, combined with a lack of clean water and soap, mean infections and illnesses such as Hepatitis Aare spreading rapidly. People who have managed to survive near constant bombardment are dying from hunger and disease.

Amid this dire situation, women and girls face unique challenges. Period products are so scarce we have heard from colleagues and partners on the ground that some women are resorting to using scraps of tents as sanitary pads.

Going to the bathroom involves queuing for hours: in some shelters more than 400 people share a single toilet. There is no privacy, no hygiene products.

With prices soaring, mothers are unable to afford nappies for their babies. Women have told us ttheir terrified and traumatised children frequently wet the bed, yet most do not have spare change of clothes to give them.

Gaza’s estimated 52,000 pregnant women face the very real possibility of having to give birth in a filthy tent. Only 13 of the 36 hospitals are partially able to function, and all are experiencing a severe shortage of medicines, meaning that even those women lucky enough to have their baby in a medical setting face having to do so without anaesthetic or even painkillers.

The heroic doctors at ActionAid’s partner hospital Al-Awda, in the north of Gaza, have had to deliver babies with only torchlight to guide them after running out of fuel

Midwives have told us infections are common among women who have had caesareans as it is so difficult for them to stay clean. And new mothers have reported being so undernourished that they are unable to produce milk for their babies.

The need for food, clean water, medical supplies and other essentials is enormous, but only a paltry amount of aid is allowed to enter Gaza each day despite the recent International Court of Justice ruling which called for more humanitarian assistance.​

If Rafah comes under attack, aid operations could grind to a halt completely as Rafah is the main entry point and distribution centre for aid for the entire strip. The consequences would be catastrophic.

Women and children are being disproportionately affected by Israeli’s military operation in Gaza, making up around 70% of the death toll which now stands at more than 28,000.

Meanwhile many women have lost their husbands, and overnight have become the main provider for their households.

Yet despite shouldering the huge financial and emotional burden of securing food and other essentials for their families, we’ve heard stories of women taking in and caring for children who have been newly orphaned too.

The capacity of women and girls, as well as men and boys, in Gaza to cope with this crisis and show such resilience and community is astounding. But no one should have to endure the relentless trauma and suffering they have had to face for the last four months.

It is welcome that the Irish Government has been a consistent voice for a ceasefire and lasting peace. But in reality the world has failed as a whole to stop the bloodshed. We must keep demanding a permanent ceasefire, and it needs to happen now.

There must also be accountability for egregious violations of international law. In the long-term, the only way to create peace in the Middle East is by reaching a just political solution for Palestine, respecting our rights and establishing justice.

Right now, the urgent reality is that only when the bombs stop falling will it be possible to deliver aid at scale safely and efficiently to the millions of people in desperate need. They can’t afford any more delays.​​

Riham Jafar is Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, which is part of the ActionAid Federation, along with ActionAid Ireland.

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