UN 'very concerned' about further Israeli operation in southern Gaza

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN is "very concerned" about further Israeli operations in the southern Gaza Strip, said a spokesman on Friday, adding that "no place in Gaza is safe."

"We obviously (are) very concerned about further operation south bound by the IDF (Israeli army) and the impact that would have on civilians, but as everybody has been saying from the UN side, there's really no place in Gaza that's actually very safe," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a daily press briefing.

Asked by Anadolu about the possible evacuation of civilians, Dujarric said: "My answer too is that there's, at this point, there is no place in Gaza that is safe."

He added the UN has been calling on Israel to protect civilians at all costs.

Last month, Israel ordered Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to move to southern part, despite warnings that moving a million people so quickly would lead to a humanitarian disaster. Despite hopes by some Gazans that this meant southern Gaza would be “safe,” in the weeks since Israel has carried out attacks in the southern strip as well.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 8,300 women and children, and 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.