When Israeli troops withdrew from Rafah – marking the start of the ceasefire agreement earlier this month – they left behind a trail of destruction in Gaza’s southernmost city.
An estimated 1.3 million people had sought refuge in Rafah after being displaced from other areas of Gaza during the genocidal war. All have gone through harrowing experiences.
Ahmed al-Sufi, the city’s mayor, stated during a recent press conference that the authorities did not have the capacity to deal with the devastation caused by Israel. As well as subjecting Rafah to numerous airstrikes over the past 15 months, Israeli troops undertook a ground invasion of the city in May.
“The infrastructure is completely paralyzed,” al-Sufi said. “Water and electricity networks are down and the main roads are unusable. Thousands of homes and public facilities no longer exist.”
Appealing for international aid, al-Sufi added, “The humanitarian situation here is catastrophic. We cannot face it alone.”……more
