The United Nations said Monday (26/8) that the Israeli military's latest evacuation order has halted their aid operations in the Gaza Strip.
“As of this morning, we are not operating in Gaza,” a senior UN official told reporters, adding that they would not leave the besieged territory.
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a new evacuation order for parts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The UN moved its core operations last May following an evacuation order to Rafah in southern Gaza. The latest evacuation order is the 16th this month, according to the UN.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. The U.N. had just hours to move international and Palestinian staff, hundreds of dependents and equipment to an area in Al-Mawasi that Israel has designated as a safe zone, he said. Some staff were sleeping in a warehouse.
The UN had to leave quickly, leaving some equipment behind, the official said. They could not return to retrieve it on Monday because the IDF had entered the area. The official said the UN was now looking for a safe place where they could “reset” their operations.
The UN estimates about 86% of Gaza is under Israeli evacuation orders, pushing more than 2 million people into a narrow strip of land with few basic services.
Two officials from the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Monday from central Gaza that despite the latest evacuation order, they were continuing to provide health care to the community. UNRWA will also be a key player, along with the World Health Organization and the U.N. International Children's Emergency Fund, or UNICEF, in a massive polio vaccination campaign that will begin Saturday. The campaign will reach 640,000 children in Gaza with a double dose of the vaccine.
The virus was detected last month in environmental samples from Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. At least one case has been confirmed in a 10-month-old baby. It is the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. (ka/lt)
