Israeli attacks on southern Gaza could force 1M refugees towards Egypt: UN

ISTANBUL

The head of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) has warned that Israel's attacks on the southern Gaza Strip could push 1 million Palestinian refugees towards the Egyptian border, the agency said Saturday on X.

"If there is fighting there is indeed a higher likelihood that they might wish to flee further south and beyond the border," UNRWA quoted its Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini as saying in an interview by British daily The Guardian.

"We have 1 million people, 1 million people in UN installations, including 100,000 in the north," Lazzarini also told The Guardian.

His remarks followed the resumption of Israeli attacks in the Palestinian enclave after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause.

At least 193 Palestinians have been killed and 652 injured since Friday in Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio