By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Monday reiterated its call for Israel to enable the delivery of lifesaving assistance to people across the Gaza Strip.
Humanitarians said that the Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach Palestinians with vital aid, the OCHA stated.
It noted that only 7 out of 22 UN planned humanitarian movements on Sunday were facilitated.
OCHA noted that 7were denied outright, five were impeded, and four were cancelled due to security and logistical challenges.
The ongoing hostilities and evacuation orders continue to displace civilians across the Strip, it said.
“Civilians must be protected, whether they leave or stay,” OCHA said.
“Those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely, and they must be able to voluntarily return when the situation allows.”
Israeli military issued a new evacuation order for residents in the Al Mufti neighbourhood in An Nuseirat, central Gaza.
Some 4,100 people are affected by the directive, according to humanitarian partners.
The area under evacuation includes residents living in and around two displacement sites managed by the UNRWA.
Three medical points, two water delivery points and two temporary learning spaces are also located there.
“Partners have observed a limited number of people moving from the area under evacuation toward Nuseirat City and other parts of Deir al Balah,” OCHA said.
OCHA added displaced people across Gaza continue to report critical shortages of food, water and sanitation facilities.
It cited a new survey of nearly 2,500 households.
Over two thirds reported that they had been displaced at least once over the last 60 days.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, visited a factory in the south that provides furniture to temporary learning spaces in the Gaza Strip.
He said that 15 months of war, less than a fifth of school-age children in Gaza have access to some form of learning.
Mr. Hadi was in Gaza City on Sunday, where he visited a church hosting more than 400 displaced Palestinians.
He stressed the need to protect places of refuge and to end the war.
Hadi called on Sunday to end the war in Gaza to ensure a better future for children there and the entire region.
Muhannad Hadi, the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, made the appeal during a visit to Gaza City, where he met with representatives from non-governmental organizations
He visited Holy Family Church, where he recorded a video message on the church steps, surrounded by displaced children.
“Needless to say that churches, mosques, civilians, and all civilian infrastructure, must be protected. They can only be protected by the end of this war; by a ceasefire,” he stressed.
He said that Gaza’s displaced youth “deserve to go back to their homes.”
The children sitting with him “are the hope of the future, and without education, without proper healthcare, there will be no bright future,” he added.
“Again, I am here appealing from this church in Gaza to end this war, for the sake of these children, for the sake of the future, but also for the sake of a better future for all of us in this region.”
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