Israel orders 4 lakh Gazans to move south, expands operations in north

In recent days, Israeli authorities have once again ordered more than 400,000 people who remain north of Wadi Gaza in the Gaza Strip to move south, while at the same time tightening access restrictions and expanding military operations in the north, UN humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday said it continues to be deeply concerned about the situation in the northern areas of Gaza. The office said crossing points into northern Gaza remain largely closed to both humanitarian and commercial supplies, and checkpoints inside Gaza are only permitting civilians to move south and allowing just a trickle of humanitarian movement into the north, according to Xinhua news agency.

OCHA warned that these developments are forcing services critical for people's survival to shut down one by one. According to UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, seven schools sheltering displaced people are being evacuated, and only two of eight water wells in the Jabalya refugee camp remain functional. "The north is also facing severe shortages of bread and food supplies," the office said.

Explosive munitions burned down the only bakery supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) in the Jabalya refugee camp. OCHA and the World Health Organization tried to reach northern Gaza on Wednesday to support the Kamal Adwan Hospital after Israeli authorities ordered its immediate evacuation. After receiving a green light from the Israeli authorities for the mission, the team was forced to wait at a holding point for many hours. Ultimately, the mission had to be aborted.

"Despite these challenges, aid workers are seizing any opportunity to support people in northern Gaza," said OCHA. It added that UNRWA is utilising limited stocks already in the north to distribute high-energy biscuits from WFP to children in designated shelters and delivering bread bundles to families in certain areas. Hot meals are being distributed by its partners to newly displaced families, some of which are also receiving tents, and water is being delivered using trucks.