Over 55 Israeli evacuation orders in effect, covering more than 85% of Gaza: UN

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN on Monday highlighted the impact of ongoing mass evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army, saying that the orders now cover more than 85% of Gaza.

"As of 16 September, more than 55 evacuation orders remain in effect, covering more than 85% of Gaza. The latest evacuation order was issued in northern Gaza on Saturday," Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference, citing Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Saying that "repeated displacements are also separating families," Dujarric added it is also "eroding social protection systems, particularly for women and children."

With Israeli-issued evacuation orders hindering the delivery of aid across Gaza, Dujarric said: "Between 1 and 15 September of the 94 planned humanitarian missions coordinated with the Israeli authorities for northern Gaza, only 37 – or 39%– were facilitated."

"In southern Gaza, just over 50% of the 243 coordinated humanitarian movements were facilitated," he said, adding that OCHA is unable to access northern Gaza for 28 days.

He further stated that "aid convoys are being fired at or otherwise exposed to life-risking conditions, stopped and delayed for hours in combat zones."

- Need for protection

Asked about whether the UN perceives Israel's ongoing evacuation orders as forced displacement, Dujarric said: "We see it as giving people very little options in order to just stay alive and survive."

"People need to be protected, whether they move or whether they stay there," he said, adding that there "needs to be humanitarian aid" reaching to those in need.

"What we're seeing is that no place is safe in Gaza," he said.

Responding to Anadolu's question on the Ministry of Health in Gaza's recently published document detailing every Palestinian killed since Oct. 7, Dujarric said "women and children have been bearing the brunt of it."

He reiterated the call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

The recently published document includes the names, ages, genders, and identifications of Palestinians killed between Oct. 7 and Aug. 31, highlighting that 60% of the victims are women, children, and the elderly, with the first 14 pages listing those under one year old.

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

More than 41,200 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.