UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 (APP): Israel\u2019s order for people to leave Gaza City \u201cwill only fuel mass suffering for Palestinian families\u201d, many of whom have been displaced multiple times, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, has warned.<\/p>\n
The directive, issued by the Israeli military, follows evacuation orders affecting several parts of the city in recent days.
\n\u201cThese civilians must be protected \u2013 and their essential needs must be met, whether they flee or stay,\u201d OCHA said.
\n\u201cThis is what we mean when we say that all parties must respect international humanitarian law, at all times.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The situation is unfolding as a new round of negotiations towards a ceasefire in Gaza resumed in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re obviously following these developments very closely. The Secretary-General is being kept informed,\u201d said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, speaking at UN Headquarters in New York
\n.
\n\u201cOur message to the parties is to find the political courage to reach this deal \u2013 for the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the people of Israel, for the sake of hostages,to make this deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the UN and partners continue efforts to support displaced communities across Gaza.
\nOCHA noted, however that the evacuation orders \u201care also forcing the humanitarian community to reset their aid operations over and over again.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
\u201cAid workers are responding, but what they can deliver falls far short of needs,\u201d UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, said on Wednesday in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
\nHe stressed that more funding is urgently needed \u2013 as is a safe, enabling environment inside Gaza.<\/p>\n
Hadi visited Deir Al-Balah on Tuesday, where he witnessed firsthand the consequences of the breakdown in public order and safety as he entered and exited the Kerem Shalom crossing, OCHA reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe saw groups of men with sticks waiting for trucks to leave the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. All trucks he passed were badly damaged, with broken windshields, mirrors and hoods,\u201dthe agency added.<\/p>\n
The Humanitarian Coordinator also observed bags of fortified flour from the World Food Programme (WFP) and UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) scattered alongside the road coming out of Kerem Shalom.
\nThe top official \u201calso saw that the city of Khan Younis has largely been reduced to sand and rubble, without a single structure left untouched.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
While in Gaza, Hadi met with women\u201ds groups who told him about the harrowing conditions at sites for displaced people.
\nMany women have cut off their hair due to lice, difficulties in accessing shampoo and other personal hygiene products, and the lack of privacy, for example. Others voiced despair over the inability to provide for their families, especially for relatives living with disabilities and those who are sick.<\/p>\n
Women also reported on how extreme overcrowding in displacement sites can lead to tensions within communities. They also said that overcrowding, despair and the breakdown in public order and safety are fueling an increase in sexual and gender-based violence.<\/p>\n
Hadi also visited the IMC Field Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, together with the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hanan Balkhy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hadi said he was humbled to see how doctors and nurses provided trauma care for hundreds of patients with severe wounds, despite nearly impossible operational conditions, including the inability to get basic medical supplies such as gauze,\u201dthe agency said.<\/p>\n
OCHA also reported on Wednesday that it has \u201cdocumented more than 1,000 Israeli settler attacks\u201d against Palestinians in the West Bank since October, leading to casualties and damage to property, trees and saplings.<\/p>\n
Nearly 1,400 people, including 660 children, in more than two dozen Bedouin and herding communities have been displaced during the same period due to settler violence and access restrictions.<\/p>\n
OCHA added that Israeli forces in the West Bank killed 14 Palestinians between 2 and 8 July, the vast majority during two operations in the Jenin and Tulkarm cities and their adjacent refugee camps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 (APP): Israel\u2019s order for people to leave Gaza City \u201cwill only fuel mass suffering for Palestinian families\u201d, many of whom have been displaced multiple times, the UN relief coordination office, OCHA, has warned. The directive, issued by the Israeli military, follows […]<\/p>\n
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