Humanitarians continue to call for Israel to facilitate aid delivery in Gaza

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reiterated its call for Israel to enable the delivery of lifesaving assistance to people across the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach Palestinians with vital aid, the agency said, noting that only seven out of 22 UN planned humanitarian movements on Sunday were facilitated. 

Of this number, six were denied outright, five were impeded, and four were cancelled due to security and logistical challenges.

New evacuation order

Meanwhile, ongoing hostilities and evacuation orders continue to displace civilians across the Strip. 

“Civilians must be protected, whether they leave or stay,” OCHA said.  “Those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows.”

On Sunday, the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order for residents in the Al Mufti neighbourhood in An Nuseirat, central Gaza. Some 4,100 people are affected by the directive, according to humanitarian partners.

On the move again

The area under evacuation includes residents living in and around two displacement sites managed by the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA.  Three medical points, two water delivery points and two temporary learning spaces are also located there. 

 “Partners have observed a limited number of people moving from the area under evacuation toward Nuseirat City and other parts of Deir al Balah,” OCHA said.

Displaced people across Gaza continue to report critical shortages of food, water and sanitation facilities, OCHA added, citing a new survey of nearly 2,500 households. More than two thirds reported that they had been displaced at least once over the last 60 days.

Senior official’s visit

In other developments:

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, visited a factory in the south that provides furniture to temporary learning spaces in the Gaza Strip.

After some 15 months of war, less than a fifth of school-age children in Gaza have access to some form of learning.

Mr. Hadi was in Gaza City on Sunday, where he visited a church hosting more than 400 displaced Palestinians.  He once again stressed the need to protect places of refuge and to end the war.