Children and staff have been relocated from the SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah
On May 28, SOS Children’s Villages started an emergency relocation of children and adults from the SOS Village in Rafah due to heightened security risks. All 33 children residing within SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah arrived unharmed at an alternative location in central Gaza.
With the emergency relocation, SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah ceases to be a humanitarian hub for the local community and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city of Rafah.
“It is SOS Children’s Villages’ clear intention to re-establish the vital humanitarian support for the local population in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible,” says Ghada Hirzallah, the National Director of SOS Children´s Villages Palestine.
The now displaced group includes children, supporting staff, former program participants and their families. They have reached their temporary new locations, located in the designated safe zone. It is critical that these areas are in fact safe for the many thousands of displaced people seeking refuge. Therefore, we call on all parties involved to protect civilians as is their duty according to international humanitarian law.
Most of the children and caregivers who lived at SOS Children’s Villages in Rafah were evacuated to the West Bank in March with cooperation from all relevant authorities. These children are now relatively safe and have resumed their regular education.
We remain deeply concerned for the wellbeing of all the displaced children and staff. In times of war, it’s children who always suffer the most. Every child has the right to feel protected and safe.
The new locations where children, caregivers and staff were relocated to are humanitarian sites, protected under international law, and we reiterate that all actors involved in the conflict must not target those locations or use them for military purposes.
SOS Children’s Villages will continue our work to support children and families throughout this conflict as best we can.