In Pictures

Palestinians live in scarcity in Rafah as Israeli ground assault looms

Palestinians struggle to access basic necessities as Israeli attacks on Rafah continue.

Palestinian crowds struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah — Palestinians struggle to buy bread from a bakery in Rafah, Gaza [Fatima Shbair/AP Photo]

Displaced Palestinians crammed into Rafah in southern Gaza are struggling to secure basic necessities as aid agencies and several world leaders have warned that a looming Israeli offensive on the city would have disastrous consequences.

More than 1.5 million people, most of whom were displaced from other areas of Gaza, are sheltering in Rafah, where food and other essential supplies are scarce amid severe Israeli restrictions on the transport of food, fuel, water and humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Despite the growing external pressure to halt the Rafah assault, Israel says it will press ahead with a ground offensive into the city near the border with Egypt to confront battalions of fighters from Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza.

The United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine has slammed the planned Israeli ground offensive on the city.

“Rafah stands as the last line of Palestinian existence in Gaza, amidst the relentless anguish faced by the people trapped therein,” Francesa Albanese said.

Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general and CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has warned that the healthcare situation in Gaza is “beyond critical” and the gap between needs and support available is widening.

“Civilian population in Gaza have suffered enough, and healthcare stands as one of the last remaining beacons of hope,” Chapagain wrote on X, warning that many vulnerable people are lacking essential medical services.

Israel has repeatedly carried out attacks on hospitals and medical complexes in Gaza since launching its war on the besieged coastal enclave on October 7, crippling health services for the Palestinians living there.

According to the latest assessments from the World Health Organization (WHO), only 11 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning – five in the north and six in the south.

On Sunday, the WHO chief said that Nasser Hospital, the main hospital in southern Gaza, was “no longer functional” after weeks of deadly Israeli siege and shelling.

To compensate for the loss of essential healthcare services, Palestinian workers installed on Sunday a mobile hospital in Rafah.

Palestinian women sew diapers at a workshop in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on February 18 — Palestinian women sew diapers at a workshop in Rafah, amid severe shortages of basic necessities. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

A Palestinian child is seen carrying firewood as Palestinians who fled the Israeli army attacks and took refuge in Rafah try to survive under difficult conditions with makeshift tents in Rafah, Gaza on February 18 — A Palestinian child is seen carrying firewood as Palestinians who fled the Israeli army attacks and took refuge in Rafah try to survive under difficult conditions in makeshift tents. [Yasser Qudih/Anadolu Agency]

A view of a field hospitals being built for the injured Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza on February 17 — Palestinian workers build a field hospital for injured people in Rafah, as Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza's second-largest hospital, has been rendered nonfunctional by Israeli attacks and shortages. [Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency]

Palestinians flock to bazaars to meet their needs during rainy day as they try to continue their daily life amid Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza on February 18 — Palestinians shop in a bazaar to meet their needs as they try to continue their daily lives amid Israeli attacks in Rafah. [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]

A displaced Palestinian woman, who fled her house due to Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, carries a tray with bread on her head as she walks past the border with Egypt, amid fears of an Israeli ground assault in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip February 18 — A displaced Palestinian woman carries a tray with bread on her head as she walks near the border with Egypt. [Saleh Salem/Reuters]

Palestinians holding food filled bowls after food distribution by volunteers of charities as people facing hunger crisis and famine risk due to the Israeli embargo imposed on the territory, in Rafah, Gaza on February 18 — A Palestinian holds a food-filled bowl after meal distribution by charity volunteers, as people are facing famine risk due to the Israeli siege imposed on the enclave. [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]

Displaced Palestinian children, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, play on swings at a tent camp at the border with Egypt, amid fears of an Israeli ground assault in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip February 18 — Displaced Palestinian children, who fled their homes due to Israeli strikes, play on swings at a tent camp at the border with Egypt. [Saleh Salem/Reuters]

A Palestinian man comforts another as they inspect the destruction in Rafah on February 18 — A Palestinian man comforts another as they inspect the destruction of a family home. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]