Khaberni -The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs "OCHA" stated on Sunday that the military order issued by Israel to residents and displaced persons in the Deir al-Balah area in central Gaza to move south has directed "another devastating blow" to the humanitarian efforts in the war-torn sector.
The office warned in a statement that “the order of mass displacement issued by the Israeli army today has struck another devastating blow to the already fragile lifeline that keeps people alive across the Gaza Strip."
On Sunday morning, the Israeli occupation forces ordered the residents of the Deir al-Balah area in central Gaza to leave immediately due to impending operations, where entire families were seen dragging their few belongings and heading south.
"OCHA" confirmed that United Nations staff "remain" in the area, where the coordinates of their locations have been shared with "concerned parties".
It added, "These locations (...) as is the case with all civilian sites (...) must be protected, regardless of displacement orders," warning that any damage to health clinics, water infrastructure, and aid warehouses in the area "will have life-threatening consequences."
The number of people in the area at the time the eviction order was issued ranged from 50 to 80 thousand people, according to preliminary estimates by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Since the beginning of the war, nearly all residents of Gaza have been displaced at least once due to repeated Israeli eviction orders, and they are facing a severe food shortage.
According to the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office, the latest order means that 87.8% of Gaza's area is now under evacuation orders or within Israeli military zones.
The agency affiliated with the United Nations pointed out that this leaves "2.1 million civilians confined in a fragmented area that comprises 12% of the sector, where basic services have collapsed."
It added that the order "will limit the ability of the United Nations and our partners to move safely and effectively within Gaza, making it difficult to access humanitarian aid when it is desperately needed."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Sunday that he had ordered not to extend the visa of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs "OCHA" director Jonathan Whittal.
The Israeli war in Gaza has led to the martyrdom of 58,895 Palestinians, according to the latest tally by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.
Hunger and malnutrition have reached unprecedented levels in Gaza, with the United Nations confirming that tens of thousands of children and women require urgent treatment, at a time when only meager quantities of aid enter the sector due to Israeli restrictions.
The civil defense in Gaza reported that it is observing an increase in cases of "infant martyrdom due to severe hunger and malnutrition," confirming the death of at least three children during the past week.
