The majority of Gaza’s population is taking refuge in Rafah, and the head of the World Health Organization made an appeal to Israel on Saturday “in the name of humanity” to refrain from attacking the area.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of WHO, posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “I’m gravely concerned about reports of an Israeli plan to proceed with a ground assault on Rafah.”

“Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would lead to many more deaths and suffering,” he added.

“We call on Israel to stop and instead work toward peace in the name of humanity.”

He contended that an evacuation orchestrated by the Israeli army prior to initiating its assault was not a workable resolution.

“There is nowhere safe for the 1.2 million residents of Rafah to relocate.

He declared, “There are no safe, fully operational health facilities that they can reach elsewhere in Gaza.” Many are too weak, too hungry, or too ill to be moved again.

“We cannot allow this humanitarian crisis to get any worse.”

The military’s “plans for action in Rafah” were approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement released on Friday. The statement lacked specifics and a timeframe.

Such a military operation has also been repeatedly cautioned against by the United Nations and the United States.

Following the October 7 attack by Islamist militants, Netanyahu pledged to destroy Hamas and has been vowing to carry out the war for weeks.

The Hamas attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

An AFP count of official figures indicates that 1,160 people died in Israel as a result of the Hamas attack, the majority of them were civilians.

According to the health ministry, Israel’s ceaseless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 31,553 people, the majority of whom were women and children.