NEW YORK, Thursday, August 22, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces forcefully displaced 250,000 people to move yet again in the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).
“So far in August, the Israeli authorities issued 12 evacuation orders affecting around 250,000 people in Gaza,” UNRWA said on X platform.
“Families are repeatedly displaced, carrying what they can amid military operations and summer heat. There is no escape from this exhausting cycle in the Gaza Strip,” it added.
This was confirmed by Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“During August alone, the Israeli forces have issued 12 evacuation orders – on average, once every two days – forcing as many as 250,000 people to move yet again,” he said in a press statement.
“Just yesterday, tens of thousands of civilians in four neighbourhoods in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis were instructed to leave. Humanitarian staff of several UN agencies and NGOs were also affected, along with their families,” he added, while affirming that “Humanitarian workers play a critical role in supporting other displaced Palestinians.”
He refuted Israeli occupation authorities’ allegations that evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians.
“If evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, the fact is that they are leading to the exact opposite. They are forcing families to flee again, often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them, into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, with limited services and – like the rest of Gaza – unsafe. People are being deprived of access to services essential for their survival, including medical facilities, shelters, water wells and humanitarian supplies.”
“The water supply in Deir al Balah has decreased by at least 70 per cent due to the shutdown of pumps and desalination plants located within evacuation zones. A severe chlorine shortage for water disinfection, with reserves expected to last only one more month, is fueling disease, skin infections, hepatitis A and now polio,” he elaborated.
“Civilians are exhausted and terrified, running from one destroyed place to another, with no end in sight.”
He reiterated the need for protecting civilians and meeting their essential needs under international law.
“The way forward is as clear as it is urgent: protect civilians, release the hostages, facilitate humanitarian access, agree on a ceasefire,” he concluded.
K.F.
