‘Chaos and Fear’ – Israel Shrinks ‘Humanitarian Zone’ to 11 Percent of Gaza

A Palestinian woman in a displacement camp in Rafah, southern Gaza. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

UNRWA’s statement comes a few days after the United Nations (UN) announced that 84 percent of the population in Gaza is under evacuation orders.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported on Saturday that Israel has shrunk the so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ in the besieged Gaza Strip to only 11 percent of the enclave causing chaos and fear amongst displaced Palestinians.

The UN agency said in a post on its account on X that “thousands of families continue to be displaced in Gaza as Israeli authorities issue new evacuation orders.”

Commenting on the latest evacuation orders issued by Israeli occupation forces, UNRWA said in an earlier post that “once again, fear spreads as families have nowhere to go. People remain trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction on a staggering scale”.

The UN agency ended its post by requesting an immediate ceasefire.

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UNRWA’s statement comes a few days after the United Nations (UN) announced that 84 percent of the population in Gaza is under evacuation orders by the Israeli army.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned last month against the repeated Israeli evacuation orders saying they “will only fuel mass suffering for Palestinian families.”

Unlawful Transfer

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Friday to Palestinians in various areas previously classified as “humanitarian safe zones” in central and southern Gaza.

The evacuation warnings came in the form of text messages sent to residents and displaced Palestinians alike along with flyers dropped in the northern area of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and in neighborhoods in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, according to Reuters news agency.

The Israeli army claimed that these areas were used by Hamas “as a base for firing mortars and rockets towards Israel,” Reuters said.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas uses civilian infrastructure and population as command centers for its operations.

‘Unlawful Transfer’ – Israel Issues New Evacuation Orders to Palestinians in Gaza

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Friday to Palestinians in various areas previously classified as “humanitarian safe zones” in central and southern Gaza.

The evacuation warnings came in the form of text messages sent to residents and displaced Palestinians alike along with flyers dropped in the northern area of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and in neighborhoods in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, according to Reuters news agency.

The Israeli army claimed that these areas were used by Hamas “as a base for firing mortars and rockets towards Israel,” Reuters said.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Hamas uses civilian infrastructure and population as command centers for its operations.

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,005 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,401 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

(Anadolu, PC)

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