OCHA: We will not cooperate with any forced evacuation from Rafah

A spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Reuters on Tuesday that Israel has not contacted the office regarding a plan to evacuate the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip, whether individually or jointly, adding that the office will not participate in any forced evacuation unless Israel communicates with it on this matter.

Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the office, said in response to questions from Reuters about the Rafah plans, "Israeli officials have not contacted us officially at all."

He added, "Apart from this, the United Nations does not participate in forced or involuntary evacuations. There is currently no plan to facilitate the evacuation of civilians."

Earlier, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy called on United Nations agencies to "cooperate with Israel's efforts to protect civilians from Hamas and evacuate them from a war zone where terrorists are trying to use them as human shields."

Reuters