UN voices deep concern over Israel’s relocation order in Gaza

The United Nations (UN) expressed profound concern on Friday for the well-being of civilians in the Gaza Strip after Israel ordered the entire population in the north to evacuate due to ongoing airstrikes and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

The UN representatives in Gaza were informed on Thursday by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that all individuals residing north of Wadi Gaza must relocate to southern Gaza within 24 hours.

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that around 1.1 million people would be expected to leave northern Gaza, including all UN staff and those taking shelter in UN facilities such as schools, health centers, and clinics.

The UN deems this order impossible to carry out without dire humanitarian consequences and calls for it to be rescinded.

The UN World Health Organisation (WHO) echoed this call, asserting that the relocation order amounted to a “death sentence” for many in Gaza.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic stated that it would be impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from the north of Gaza.

The UN renewed its appeals for the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza following Hamas’s attack on Israel and for the protection of civilians and urgent aid access to the sealed-off enclave.

UN humanitarians also urged the parties involved to save civilian lives. UN relief chief Martin Griffiths tweeted that the “noose around the civilian population in Gaza is tightening,” and the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned that the relocation order would lead to unprecedented misery for people in Gaza.

UNRWA stressed that Gaza is “fast becoming a hellhole and is on the brink of collapse,” urging all parties to uphold the laws of war.

UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated that the humanitarian situation in Gaza had reached “lethal lows.” He highlighted the densely populated nature of the Gaza Strip and the lack of safe places for hundreds of thousands of children and civilians.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated, resulting in total military warfare in the Gaza Strip over the past week. According to reports from humanitarian organizations, the ongoing conflict has already claimed over 2,300 lives on both sides.