Global outcry for immediate stop to Rafah offensive grown too loud to ignore: UN relief chief

The UN relief chief drew attention Friday to the "suffering and misery” in the Gaza Strip because of Israel's military operation and said the global outcry against the offensive has "grown too loud to ignore."

Saying that the military operation in Rafah "has been a tragedy beyond words," Martin Griffiths noted that the ground operation has forced more than 800,000 people to be displaced to areas "without adequate shelter, latrines and clean water."

Griffiths wrote on X that the offensive in Rafah ended the flow of aid into southern parts of Gaza, crippling humanitarian operations to a breaking point.

He also noted that it halted food distributions and the supply of fuel for Gaza's lifelines.

"Though Israel dismissed the international community's appeals to spare Rafah, the global clamor for an immediate stop to this offensive has grown too loud to ignore," the relief chief said.

Citing the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution advocating for the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel and the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order for Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza, Griffiths said, "This is a moment of clarity."

"It is a moment to demand respect for the rules of war to which all are bound: Civilians must be allowed to seek safety," he said. "Humanitarian relief must be facilitated without obstruction."

He reiterated his demand to "release the hostages. Agree to a ceasefire. End this nightmare."