An Israeli invasion of Rafah would endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans and deal a huge blow to aid operations across the enclave, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned today, as the World Health Organization announced the emergency plans he prepares, just in case.

Israel has repeatedly warned it will launch an operation against Hamas in Rafah, southern Gaza, where a million displaced Palestinians have gathered to escape Israeli bombardment elsewhere in the enclave.

“There could be a massacre of civilians and an incredible blow to humanitarian operations across the Strip,” OCHA spokesman Jens Larke told a press conference in Geneva.

Israel has said it will work to ensure the safe removal of civilians from Rafah.

Relief operations in Rafah include medical beds, warehouses filled with humanitarian supplies, food distribution points and 50 centers for acutely malnourished children, Larke said. OCHA will do everything possible to continue these operations, he added, even in the event of an invasion, and is considering how to do that.

In the same interview, a World Health Organization official said an emergency plan was in place for Rafah, including a new field hospital, but stressed that it was not enough to prevent a significant rise in the death toll.

According to the Hamas Health Ministry, 34,622 Palestinians have been killed and another 77,867 injured since October 7 in Gaza.

“I really want to say that this emergency plan is a band-aid,” said Rick Pipercorn, the WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territories. “It will in no way prevent the expected increase in deaths” due to the military operation, he added.

Preparations also include stockpiling medical supplies at hospitals north of Rafah, in case the three inside the city go out of business, as have other medical facilities in recent months, due to Israeli shelling. WHO figures show that only a third of the enclave’s 36 hospitals are partially operational. Israel accuses Hamas of using them for military purposes and that its operations in the hospitals are justified because of the presence of militants in them. Hamas and the medical staff deny the accusations.

Piperkorn added that he is “seriously concerned” that the invasion will close the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which is currently used to bring in medical supplies. “We are pushing that, whatever happens, it remains open,” he said, noting that the WHO has raised the issue with Israeli authorities.