Israeli evacuation order in central Gaza ‘devastating' to aid efforts: UN
The latest order means that 87.8 per cent of Gaza's area is now under displacement orders or within Israeli militarised zones.
UNITED NATIONS, United States - An Israeli military order for residents and displaced people in Gaza's Deir el-Balah area to move south dealt 'another devastating blow' to humanitarian efforts in the war-ravaged territory, the UN's OCHA aid agency said on July 20.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 'warns that today's mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip,' it said in a statement.
On the morning of July 20, the Israeli military ordered those in the central Gaza area to leave immediately due to imminent operations, with whole families seen lugging their few belongings and heading south.
OCHA said UN staff were 'remaining' in the territory and their coordinates had been shared with 'relevant parties'.
'These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of displacement orders,' OCHA said, warning that any damage to health clinics,
water infrastructure , and aid warehouses in the area 'will have life-threatening consequences'.
Between 50,000 and 80,000 people were in the area when the evacuation order was issued, according to OCHA's initial estimates.
Since the start of the war, nearly all of Gaza's population – which is also facing severe food shortages – has been displaced at least once by repeated Israeli evacuation orders.
According to OCHA, the latest order means that 87.8 per cent of Gaza's area is now under displacement orders or within Israeli militarised zones.
That leaves '2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12 per cent of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed,' said the UN agency.
The order 'will limit the ability of the UN and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza,
choking humanitarian access when it is needed most'.
Israel on July 20 withdrew the residency permit of the head of the OCHA office in the country, Mr Jonathan Whittall, who has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 58,895 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN finds these figures credible.
The war was sparked by Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel in which 1,219 people, most of them civilians, were killed, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. AFP
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an hour ago
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an hour ago
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It added that upon his arrival, FM Dar was received by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar, and the Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh. According to a July 19 statement issued by the FO, Dar will attend a high-level conference on the 'Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution', to express Pakistan's strong commitment and unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people. The conference was originally planned for June but was postponed due to the Iran-Israel war, which also led to the rescheduling of Dar's visit. According to The Guardian, the moot will now be held on July 28 and 29. Since October 8, Israeli strikes have killed more than 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Pakistan has consistently raised its voice for the people of Palestine, calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Earlier this month, Pakistan urged the UNSC not to remain 'a bystander' amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Aside from the Palestine conference, Dar is also set to chair a high-level briefing of the UNSC, focused on enhancing cooperation between the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). 'The meeting is being held as part of Pakistan's efforts to strengthen collaboration between the OIC and the UN for maintenance of international peace and security,' the FO statement said. Dar is expected to have several other bilateral engagements with his counterparts, as well as senior UN officials, during his stay. He will also meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on July 25.
