Norwegian Refugee Council: 鈥淧eople should be able to stay in Rafah鈥�
NRC chief says they will not cooperate with the Israeli government on humanitarian islands
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), has said that the organisation will not cooperate with the Israeli Government on its latest plans to move displaced Palestinians in Gaza to what it calls "humanitarian islands", ahead of any offensive in Rafah.
Speaking to Stephen Sackur on Thursday 14th March 2024, Mr Egeland said 鈥淭hese are not cattle. These are human beings 鈥eople should be able to stay in Rafah, this is their last escape. It's the last place that was not devastated鈥�, he added.
Mr Egeland has recently returned from a three-day visit to Gaza, and said he was 鈥渟haken鈥� by what he saw there. He has repeatedly criticised the Israeli Government and its allies for what he calls a 鈥渄isproportionate, relentless onslaught against the besieged civilian population of Gaza鈥�.
Mr Egeland has been the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council since August 2013. He previously served as the European Director at Human Rights Watch, Secretary General of the Norwegian Red Cross, and has held leading positions at Amnesty International and the United Nations. He was among the initiators of the peace negotiations that led to the Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation in 1993.
