Israel Gaza: UN warns of 'slaughter' if Israel launches ground assault on Rafah - BBC News

Its aid chief says more than a million people in the Gazan city are staring "death in the face".

9 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rafah's population has swelled from 250,000 to 1.5 million as Palestinians have fled to Gaza's southernmost city (picture date: 10 February)By Ido Vock & Jacqueline HowardBBC NewsA top UN official has warned an Israeli assault on Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, could lead to a "slaughter".

Humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said Palestinians in Gaza were already suffering an "assault that is unparalleled in its intensity, brutality and scope".

The consequences of an invasion of Rafah would be "catastrophic", he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas gunmen he says are hiding in the city.

In an unusually strongly worded statement, Mr Griffiths said over a million people were "crammed in Rafah, staring death in the face". He said civilians in the city had little food or access to medicine and "nowhere safe to go".

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