The chiefs of six humanitarian and human rights organizations have warned of the “catastrophic” consequences of an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. The joint statement was signed by the heads of Oxfam, Amnesty International, ActionAid, War Child, the Danish Refugee Council and Handicap International, Al Jazeera reported.

“We are appalled by the harrowing developments in Rafah, Gaza’s most populated area where 1.5 million people are sheltering as their last resort – over half a million of them children,” the statement said.

“If Israel launches its proposed ground offensive, thousands more civilians will be killed and the current trickle of humanitarian aid risks coming to a complete halt,” it added.

“If this military plan is not stopped immediately, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

The organizations also stressed that “many areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble and are uninhabitable”, highlighting the lack of functioning hospitals, food, clean water, shelter and sanitation.

The NGOs also accused Israel of “collective punishment” and said that its actions “may amount to grave breaches of the obligations of an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law, constituting war crimes.”

The heads of the groups called for a “permanent ceasefire,” which they say was “more urgent than ever.”