UNHCR: Influx of Palestinian refugees to Sinai would be a disaster

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said on Friday that the influx of Palestinian refugees from Rafah in Gaza to Sinai in Egypt would be a disaster. 

He pointed out that the Egyptian authorities have clarified that assistance should be provided to people inside the Gaza Strip.

Grandi told Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, "It will be a disaster for the Palestinians... a disaster for Egypt and a disaster for the future of peace."

Responding to whether the Egyptian authorities had contacted the UN High Commissioner for Refugees about potential emergency plans, he said, "The Egyptians said that it is necessary to help people inside Gaza, and we are working on that."

Reuters