Gaza war: Where has Israel told Rafah displaced to go?

Mr Elder said the aid operation in Gaza was already very fragile because it was “continually undermined by bombings, by insecurity, by denial of access”, but that an Israeli offensive in Rafah could push it to breaking point.

UN officials are particularly concerned that the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings – the key entry points for aid into Gaza – could be closed during the current Israeli operation in eastern Gaza.

Kerem Shalom was shut on Sunday after four Israeli soldiers there were killed by 10 rockets launched by Hamas fighters from an area near the Rafah crossing, according to the IDF. But Israel’s prime minister told the US president on Monday that he would ensure Kerem Shalom reopened for humanitarian assistance.

Kerem Shalom was still closed on Tuesday morning, when the IDF announced that its troops had “obtained operational control” of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa – which runs the largest humanitarian operation in Gaza – has said it will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible and would continue providing lifesaving aid.

But it has also warned that the continued interruption of the entry of aid and fuel supplies at the Rafah crossing would “halt the critical humanitarian response” across Gaza.

“The catastrophic hunger faced by people especially in northern Gaza will get much worse if these supply routes are interrupted,” the agency said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

The IDF has said it is committed to facilitating humanitarian aid into and within Gaza and that it has established alternative crossings, including two in the north.