Gaza Strip: +90 per Cent of Gazans Displaced at Least Once

Destroyed University in Gaza, July 2024 Photo:@TimesofGaza

July 3, 2024 Hour: 2:27 pm

In October, Israel forced aid workers to move south and set up operations in Rafah until new arrangements in May “suggested” again to leave the border demarcation with Egypt.

On Wednesday, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the enclave said that more than 90 per cent of Gaza’s population has been forcibly displaced at least once since the current conflict erupted.

As a result, 1.9 million people are now internally displaced, forced to restart their lives over and over again, Andrea De Domenico told reporters during a virtual briefing from Jerusalem.

He expressed concern about new Israeli evacuation orders to clear the Khan Younis area affecting some 250,000 Palestinians, many of whom are again leaving a settlement.

People are afraid and are dominated by that feeling, De Domenico warned, citing testimonies of people forced to move more than eight times since 7 October.

In #Gaza:
???? Nearly impossible to collect aid from Kerem Shalom crossing.

???? Less than half of 115 planned humanitarian missions to the north facilitated in June, over 1/3 impeded and nearly 10% denied.

Ensuring unhindered access and a sustained flow of supplies is imperative. pic.twitter.com/XfM0MGabrh
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) July 2, 2024

“In Gaza, all areas are on the front line and the fact that the civilian population cannot go anywhere to find safety is the main feature of the conflict,” he added. The humanitarian coordinator stressed the difficulties this also poses for delivering aid, as the orders include UN and other NGO staff.

In October, Israel forced aid workers to move south and set up operations in Rafah until new arrangements in May “suggested” again to leave the border demarcation with Egypt.

“There is no other place on the planet where we know that the population cannot withdraw from the military zones and cannot disengage,” he stressed.

Humanitarian aid is vital in the complex scenario in the Strip, where some 96 per cent of the population remains in a catastrophic state of food insecurity.

Meanwhile, the UN’s financial appeal to address the crisis is barely 35 per cent of the 3.4 billion dollars (millions of millions) requested.

According to the coordinator, the funds are essential to keep the millions of Palestinians who remain in the enclave alive, but a definitive exit is only possible with a ceasefire.

“There is no logistical solution to a political problem,” he said.