9 Percent of Gaza’s Population Displaced Last Week, OCHA Says

The UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said that nine percent of the Gaza Strip's population have already been displaced over the past week by previous Israeli orders. About 29,000 people were in the area the Israeli military designated for evacuation on Sunday, OCHA said in a statement today, adding that "recurrent displacement is depriving civilians of dignified survival." OCHA's statement estimated that more than 190,000 Palestinians have been displaced this week in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah since Monday's evacuation order, while hundreds of others remain stranded in eastern Khan Younis. The UN office added that recent evacuation directives and intense hostilities have destabilized aid operations and hampered efforts to provide critical relief to civilians in Khan Younis. OCHA stated that ongoing insecurity and the designation of only one access point for the entry and exit of humanitarian staff into and out of Gaza the Karam Abu Salem crossing have hampered efforts to deploy additional emergency medical teams in Gaza. These workers are critically needed to help support the exhausted local health force. Source: Qatar News Agency