150,000 Flee Khan Younis as Hostilities Escalate in Gaza, Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General (excerpt on the crisis situation in Gaza) – 23 July 2024

23 July 2024

(Excerpt)

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Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tell us that more civilians have been fleeing parts of Khan Younis today, following yesterday’s evacuation order issued by the Israeli authorities and the subsequent intensification of hostilities in that area.
Yesterday, about 150,000 people fled areas in Khan Younis, as assessed by humanitarian colleagues monitoring population movements in the area.

OCHA has expressed our concern about the short interval between the dropping of the leaflets telling people to leave and the escalation of military operations, which posed significant risks to those fleeing. That delay was about an hour. Many have been observed on the move without any belongings. The immediate escalation of hostilities in the area also resulted in many people being trapped in the evacuation area. These included people with reduced mobility and family members supporting them.

Each evacuation order profoundly disrupts people’s lives. People have been forced to move into areas with little or no infrastructure – where there is very limited access to shelter, health, sanitation or other life-saving humanitarian assistance. Also, the area designated for evacuation yesterday included two primary health centres and two medical points, as well as a dozen food distribution points and eight cooked meal provision points. These have all ceased operations, with only one community kitchen still operational for those who have remained behind.

Today and yesterday, different sections of Salah ad Din Road have seen security incidents, which included firing. Parts of this road, which is a key route for humanitarian goods, were included in yesterday’s evacuation directives.

As a result, humanitarian workers were forced to re-route many of their essential movements to the Coastal Road, which isn’t a viable alternative due to congestion.

The World Health Organization says that Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has been forced to cope with an influx of patients, following the hostilities in the area. Some of the medical supplies that WHO provided last week – that would be enough for some 10,000 patients – are being used to treat those injured in the latest mass casualty incident.

Meanwhile, displacement also continues from the northern Gaza Strip southwards, as well as within and from the Al Bureij area of Deir al Balah, amid ongoing hostilities. Humanitarian workers’ ability to support the newly displaced is of course and obviously very limited. Nevertheless, they continue doing everything they can to provide health care and child protection services, as well as cash assistance, and essential items.

Today, two clearly marked UNICEF vehicles were hit with live ammunition while waiting at a designated holding point near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. They were en route to reunite five children, including a baby, with their father. This is the second shooting incident involving UNICEF cars in the past 12 weeks.  And you will recall that UNRWA suffered a similar incident on Sunday.

We strongly reiterate that humanitarian workers are protected under International Humanitarian Law and must never be targeted.
Also UNICEF has managed to transfer some water pipes to the north yesterday. Those will be used to provide water to the Jabalya area. A reminder that people in Gaza are now surviving with only a fourth of the water supply they had before this conflict started.