The UN will not join the “forced evacuation” of the population from Rafah, the secretary-general’s spokesman warned on Monday, reiterating that there is “no safe place” in the Gaza Strip to move the population, AFP reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered the army to prepare an offensive on the city in the southern Gaza Strip, where the UN says 1.4 million Palestinians who fled the four-month war between Israel and Hamas have flocked since October 7. attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement.

He said on Sunday that Israel would provide “safe passage” for the population to leave the city, without specifying where they could hide in the destroyed area.

Asked on Monday whether the UN would participate in such an evacuation, Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesman insisted on “full respect for international law and the protection of civilians”.

“We will not associate ourselves with the forced displacement of the population,” he added, repeating that “in the current situation, there is no safe place in Gaza.”

“You cannot send people back to areas full of unexploded ordnance, let alone homeless,” the spokesman insisted, referring to the northern and central areas of the Palestinian territory.

He also again condemned the inadequacy of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, warning that current supplies “may only last for a few days”.

Last week, he already stressed that the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken refuge in Rafah must be “protected”.

“Under no circumstances will we support forced displacement, which is against international law,” he added.

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