More than 80% of Gaza under evacuation orders as aid access deteriorates: UN

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN reported Friday that more than 80% of the Gaza Strip has been placed under evacuation orders since October as aid delivery has dropped significantly.

"The UN and partners estimate that at least 60,000 Palestinians may have moved toward western Khan Younis in the past 72 hours," Florencia Soto Nino, the UN chief’s associate spokesperson, told reporters.

The latest mass movement follows a recent evacuation order by the Israeli military, adding displacement to the already critical situation in Gaza.

Nino, citing the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the latest evacuation order by Israel covers a nearly 43-square-kilometer (17-square-mile) area in northern and southern Gaza, affecting critical infrastructure and services.

"Initial tracking by our partners in Gaza say these areas include some 230 displacement sites; more than three dozen water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; and five functional health facilities, including the Indonesian Hospital," she said.

Noting severe difficulties in delivering aid to those in need in Gaza, she said, "The entry of aid supplies into Gaza remains challenging due to active hostilities, access constraints, high levels of insecurity, the lack of public order and safety, and other factors."

Since the closure of the Rafah border crossing in early May, the volume of aid entering Gaza has dropped sharply, according to OCHA.

"It has gone from a daily average of 169 trucks in April to fewer than 80 trucks in June and July," she added.

The situation at the Kerem Shalom crossing has deteriorated further as Soto Nino stressed that “over the past three months, there has been more than an 80% drop in aid cargo brought into Gaza from that border crossing," with deliveries decreasing from 127 trucks per day in April to fewer than two dozen each day in July.

The ability to carry out humanitarian missions has also been significantly hampered by Israeli authorities, she said. "Just 24 of 67 planned aid missions to northern Gaza this month have been facilitated by Israeli authorities."

In southern Gaza, nearly half of the planned humanitarian missions have been similarly obstructed.

Asked about the latest call by the US, Egypt, and Qatar for a cease-fire in Gaza, Nino welcomed the initiative.

"Anything working towards that end is very much welcomed," she said.