The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Saturday that “the possible Israeli military attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, amidst these vulnerable and completely exposed residents, is a recipe for disaster.”

This came in a post by the UN agency on its account on the “X” platform.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, "Many of Rafah's 1.4 million people live in temporary plastic shelters on the streets."

He added, "The potential (Israeli) military attack on Rafah, amidst these vulnerable people who are completely exposed, is a recipe for disaster."

Lazzarini concluded his speech by saying that "I no longer find the words to describe the situation."

Earlier Saturday, the official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that the military operation in Rafah would begin after the completion of a “large-scale evacuation” of civilians from the city and its suburbs.

Accordingly, the government media office in Gaza warned of a “global catastrophe and massacre” if Israel invaded Rafah Governorate.

Rafah is the last refuge for the displaced in the afflicted sector, and it includes more than 1,400,000 Palestinians, including 1,300,000 displaced people from other governorates, according to the government media office.

Since the beginning of the ground operation launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip on October 27, it has been asking residents to go from the north and center of the Strip to the south, claiming that they are “safe areas,” but it has not been spared from bombing homes, cars, and hospitals.

As a result of the atrocities committed in the Gaza Strip, Israel faces accusations of committing “genocide” before the International Court of Justice, for the first time in its history, which was met with regional and global welcome for putting an end to Israel’s impunity, while this faced American opposition.