UNHCR Chief Calls Forced Displacement from Rafah to Egypt 'a Disaster'

By Al Mayadeen English

16 Feb 2024 

The UN’s high commissioner for refugees emphasizes that Egypt has called repeatedly to assist Palestinians in Gaza.

The UN’s high commissioner for refugees stated today that a surge of refugees from Rafah into Egypt’s Sinai would be a "disaster", emphasizing that Egyptian authorities have repeatedly ensured that Palestinians in Gaza should be assisted.

Chief of the UNHCR Flippo Grandi announced to Reuters, amid the annual Munich Security Conference, “It would be a disaster for the Palestinians … a disaster for Egypt and a disaster for the future of peace."

“The Egyptians said that people should be assisted inside Gaza and we are working on that,” he answered in response to a question on whether Egypt had reached out to the UNHCR about possible solutions.

On February 11, a Palestinian Resistance faction's official told Al Mayadeen that Cairo's role in repelling the Israeli invasion of Rafah is the most significant, particularly because it threatens Egypt's security. 

The official called on the Egyptian authorities to immediately mobilize to "thwart the Nazi occupation's military operation and plans," as well as visit the Palestinian-Egyptian border to tangibly witness the dangers looming on Arab national security. 

He warned that the war would border Egypt and threaten its sovereignty and national security and noted the consequences the invasion of Rafah would have on the entire region. 

Nationally, the Israeli threats of invading Rafah would put over 1.5 million Palestinian refugees at risk of ethnic cleansing, the Resistance leader emphasized. Adding that the occupation's forced displacement plans must not be achieved, he ascertained that the Palestinian people will reject all attempts at their displacement, will not leave even if forced, and will only return to the homes they have been forcibly displaced from.