‘No end to hell’ in northern Gaza, warns UN aid agency chief

The warning from Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA was prompted by renewed evacuation orders from the Israeli military, which “many are refusing because they know too well that no place anywhere in Gaza is safe”.

The development comes amid reports by the local authorities of intense Israeli bombardment in the north of the shattered enclave where ground operations are also underway. Jabalia refugee camp is surrounded, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said at the weekend, before issuing evacuation orders on Tuesday.

Strikes have also been reported in Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, towns in the northeast of Gaza, with roads also closed.

“Intensified military operations in the north are forcing us to shut down lifesaving services,” Mr. Lazzarini said on social media on Wednesday.

He added that seven of the UN agency’s schools-turned-shelters are being evacuated, while only two out of eight water wells in Jabalia camp are still operational. Some 400,000 people are believed to remain in the north of Gaza.

“Children are, as ever, the first and most to suffer,” the UNRWA chief said, adding that hunger was “spreading and deepening again” because “almost no basic supplies” were available.

According to local health authorities in Gaza, at least 45 people were killed and 130 wounded in the last 24 hours. Since Hamas-led terror attacks in multiple Israeli sites that left some 1,250 dead and more than 250 taken hostage, the death toll in Gaza has reportedly reached at least 42,000 people. Another 97,700 have been wounded, often with life-changing injuries.

Devastation in Lebanon

In Lebanon, meanwhile, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, reported “relentless” and “amplifying” bombardment” into previously unaffected areas, amid ongoing missile strikes on Israel by Hezbollah.

“In a single day – 6 October - more than 30 airstrikes struck the Beirut southern suburbs and surrounding areas, frightening residents and forcing additional displacement from densely populated areas, including Shatila Palestine refugee camp,” OCHA said in an update published Wednesday.

Latest data from the health ministry indicate more than 2,083 collective deaths and 9,869 injuries since 8 October 2023, when Hezbollah rocket fire increased into northern Israel as the war in Gaza erupted. Most casualties in Lebanon have happened in the last two weeks, amid intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations in southern Lebanon.

According to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, 25 per cent of Lebanese territory is affected by Israeli military displacement orders. Displacement orders are issued “on a daily basis” for more than 100 villages and urban neighbourhoods across southern Lebanon, forcing people to flee and pushing many up to 30 km north.

Massive displacement

OCHA reported that in total, some 1.2 million people are now internally displaced, with 180,700 people seeking refuge in 978 shelters, 775 of which are already at full capacity. The violence has also delayed the start of the school year, while the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said that about 350,000 children have been displaced.

“Extensive civilian harm is occurring due to explosive weapons in densely populated areas and forced displacement orders,” OCHA noted. “Urgent action is necessary to shield civilians from escalating violence and ensure that humanitarian and aid workers can safely deliver critical support.”