The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gaza: 250,000 set to be impacted by Israel’s new evacuation order, says UNRWA
New evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army for areas in southern Gaza are expected to impact 250,000 people, including eastern Khan Younis and Rafah, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
The development comes just weeks after Gazans had returned to a devastated Khan Younis seeking shelter, following the Israeli military’s operation in nearby Rafah, which sparked mass displacement.
According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the number of displaced people is likely to grow. “Already on the ground, we are seeing families moving, people starting to pack up their belongings and trying to leave this area,” said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer.
The Israeli Defense Forces withdrew ground forces from Khan Younis in April, after months of intense fighting that left much of the city in ruins.
Ms. Wateridge described the latest upheaval as another devastating blow to the families in the Strip, many already displaced and now forced to move to the overcrowded area of al-Mawasi and camp at water’s edge.
Meanwhile, Khan Younis remains “a very highly active military zone. There is no safety to leave,” emphasized Ms. Wateridge, speaking from Gaza to journalists in Geneva. She recalled that UNICEF had reported earlier in the year that Gaza now has around 17,000 unaccompanied or separated children. “What about these children? What decisions are these children making? What about the elderly? What about the sick?” she insisted.
Although the Israeli military has reportedly said that patients and medical staff at Khan Younis’ European Hospital are not subject to an evacuation order, they have self-evacuated to avoid bloodshed and being completely cut-off from ambulance support and supplies, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
The UN health agency also expressed deep concern about the lack of fuel needed to keep all humanitarian operations – including health – running. Since the closure of the Rafah border, which was the main entry point for fuel into Gaza, the health response operations have been significantly compromised, it noted, with no fuel entering the enclave since 27 June.
“To maintain full operations, health alone needs 80,000 litres of fuel a day. The water and sanitation sector alone needs 70,000 litres of fuel a day to operate critical services that remain accessible,” explained Dr Hanan Balkhy, the UN health agency’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. “From 15 to 23 June, the water and sanitation cluster received less than five per cent of the fuel needed each day to keep these services running,” she insisted.
More fighting in the Khan Younis area could further hamper Palestinians’ access to safe water at a time when the lack of sanitation is significantly contributing to the spread of diseases. WHO has registered a “growing number of adults and children suffering from waterborne diseases, such as hepatitis A, diarrheal illnesses, skin conditions, and others”.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many displaced several times, UN humanitarians report. Israeli restrictions and fighting have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fueling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since Hamas-led terror attacks in multiple locations in southern Israel on 7 October last year, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages.
ends
Story: “Gaza: new evacuation orders – UNRWA, WHO” – 02 July 2024
Speakers:
· Louise Wateridge, Senior Communications Officer, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) - speaking from Gaza
· Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean - speaking from Jerusalem
TRT: 02’07”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 02 July 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot of the podium at the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer: “In eastern Khan Younis, there were new evacuation orders, displacement orders issued last night. Already on the ground, we are seeing people moving, families moving, people starting to pack up their belongings and trying to leave this area. UNRWA estimates that around 250,000 people have been impacted by these orders. Of course, as usual, we expect these numbers to grow.”
- Wide shot of press room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Communications Officer: “It's a very highly active military zone. There is no safety to leave. And as UNICEF reported earlier in the year, 17,000 children are unaccompanied or separated. What about these children ? What decisions are these children making? What about the elderly? What about the sick ? »
- Wide shot of press room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean: “To maintain full operations, health alone needs 80,000 liters of fuel a day. The water and sanitation sector alone needs another 70,000 liters of fuel a day to operate critical services.”
- Wide shot of press room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean: “From June 15 to 23rd, the water and sanitation cluster received less than five per cent of the fuel needed each day to keep these services running.”
- Medium shot of press room with journalists taking notes.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean: “(The) lack of safe water and sanitation is significantly contributing to the spread of diseases. There are concerning increases in the number of adults and children suffering from waterborne diseases, such as hepatitis A, diarrheal illnesses, skin conditions, and others.”
- Various close shots of journalists attending the briefing in the press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.