Israel allows displaced Palestinians to return to parts of Deir al-Balah for 1st time: UN

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN announced Thursday that Israeli authorities are allowing displaced Palestinians from the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah to return.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that "today, the Israeli authorities announced that displaced people could return to specific areas in Deir al Balah."

"This is the first time where return is officially allowed to an evacuated area," he added.

Dujarric also noted that numerous evacuation orders received from the Israeli military have “severely disrupted our humanitarian work and our ability to work."

He also pointed to the severe hygiene and sanitation conditions at two sites in Rafah, which are currently hosting over 1,200 displaced families.

Dujarric said the residents are struggling to access clean drinking water due to a lack of available trucking services.

"They (UN personnel) report skin diseases being the main morbidity among women and children, with no treatments available when they go to the medical points," he said.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in more than 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.