UN Reports 90% of Gazans Displaced Amid Ongoing Conflict With Israel

Post by : Elena Malik

Photo : AFP

The Israeli military has designated certain areas as evacuation zones, compelling many families, including young children and the elderly, to endure repeated waves of displacement over the past two weeks, according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The United Nations reported that 90 percent of Gazans have been displaced, with some experiencing multiple displacements due to continuous evacuation orders and poor security conditions that hinder aid and fuel deliveries. OCHA detailed that on Sunday and Monday, the Israeli military instructed tens of thousands of residents living in 19 apartment blocs in Gaza City to evacuate immediately.

On Sunday, residents were ordered to move to western Gaza City. However, on Monday, the order included areas to which people had fled the previous day, instructing them to evacuate to shelters in Deir al Balah, according to Xinhua news agency.

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OCHA highlighted that the two directly affected areas encompass 13 health facilities, including two hospitals, two primary healthcare centers, and nine medical points. The report added that 13 out of 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are only partially functional.

With nine out of every ten people in Gaza estimated to be displaced, new waves of displacement mainly affect those who have already been displaced multiple times. These individuals find themselves forced to flee repeatedly, often without any belongings or prospects of safety or reliable access to essential services.

"People, especially children, spend long hours queueing to collect water each day," OCHA stated. "Access to emergency health care is also a challenge, particularly given limited communications coverage to contact emergency services, high transportation costs to reach hospitals (approximately $26 roundtrip), and the long walking distance of at least 3 km to the nearest medical point."

In northern Gaza, aid partners particularly noted the lack of safe shelters for up to 80,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were forced to hastily flee from Shuja'iyeh and other parts of eastern Gaza City following evacuation orders in late June. Many were found sleeping amid solid waste and rubble, with no mattresses or adequate clothing, and some sought shelter in partially destroyed UN facilities and residential buildings.

The Israeli military's designation of these same areas as evacuation zones has forced many families to endure successive waves of displacement over the past two weeks. OCHA reported that insecurity, damaged roads, the breakdown of law and order, and access limitations continue to hamper movement along the main humanitarian cargo route between Kerem Shalom crossing and Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.

"This has resulted in critical shortages of fuel and aid commodities to sustain humanitarian operations, in addition to increasing the risk of spoilage and infestation of stranded supplies (especially food) due to extremely high temperatures," OCHA added.

The Food Security Sector (FSS) reported that these shortages have forced partners to provide reduced food rations in central and southern Gaza in June and have undermined their ability to keep bakeries and community kitchens running. According to OCHA, only seven out of the 18 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners remain operational in Gaza, all in Deir al Balah. Six bakeries that were already working at partial capacity have now been forced to cease operations completely due to the lack of fuel.

Without cooking gas and a stable flow of food supplies, community kitchens are also struggling to operate, leading to a reduced number of cooked meals prepared throughout Gaza. As of the end of June, about 600,000 cooked meals were prepared daily in 190 kitchens for families across the strip, compared to more than 700,000 in the first half of June. Consequently, displaced households have resorted to burning wood and plastic from furniture and waste to cook, exacerbating health risks and environmental hazards.

Humanitarian partners continue to distribute wheat flour and canned food that enter northern Gaza through the Erez West crossing, as no commercial trucks have entered the area for months. A joint assessment by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the UN Satellite Centre estimated that about 57 percent of Gaza's cropland and one-third of its greenhouses were damaged.

The FSS reported a near-total lack of protein sources, such as meat and poultry, on the local market. Only a few types of locally produced vegetables are available, and these are priced beyond the reach of most residents. Continued military operations in Rafah and recent displacements from eastern Khan Younis, where significant agricultural production was concentrated before the war, have resulted in additional damage to greenhouses, forcing more people to abandon their farms and further destabilizing the food systems.

OCHA noted that on Friday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported that its teams at Nasser Medical Complex were "running on emergency medical stocks," with all departments overwhelmed by patients far exceeding available bed capacity. MSF added that the Nasser Medical Complex is the main site for sterilizing equipment for field hospitals, and without electricity, several field hospitals will cease functioning.

The hospital has been unable to bring medical supplies into Gaza since the end of April, including a recent attempt on Wednesday when Israeli authorities denied entry to trucks carrying MSF medical aid due to ongoing hostilities.

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