Intense fighting in northeast Gaza has forced some 84,000 people to flee parts of Rafah and eastern Gaza City in just days, while cutting off access to a key aid distribution hub, U.N. aid agencies said Monday, according to the website. « ONU-Info ».
Of the estimated 84,000 newly displaced people, the UN refugee agency (UNRWA) estimates that around 10,600 have sought shelter in 27 locations, including UNRWA schools, where temporary health points are available and are increasingly being used to cope with demand.
Others are being housed in public schools, buildings and open spaces, UNRWA spokesperson Louise Wateridge told UN-Info.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported last Friday new population movements in the east and northeast of Gaza City following the evacuation order given on June 27 by the Israeli army. On the ground, media reports indicate that for the fifth consecutive day, fighting continues in Shujayea, in Gaza City, but also in the Al Mawasi neighborhood, in Rafah.
Concern for thousands of unaccompanied children
The exodus from the Shujayea district, east of Gaza City, follows days of heavy shelling reported by the Israeli army, whose tanks were seen in « environ 100 » meters east of the Salah El Din road, the main north-south axis.
“The people of this area tell us about the imminent famine and explain that people eat tree leaves or only have flour to survive.”.
These hostilities are taking place in densely populated areas where some people have been able to evacuate, while others have remained and have not been able to leave, trapped in their homes, reports the UN Info website.
On the ground, the UNRWA spokesperson described the destruction of the affected areas – which cover some seven square kilometres – as “apocalyptic”Most people have lost their homes, either completely or partially, and have to flee with very few possessions; essentially what they can carry in their hands.
“Many people have lost family members. Pregnant women and people with disabilities are among the most vulnerable, as they cannot move easily during forced displacement, and the thousands of unaccompanied and separated children are a matter of great concern.”added Ms Wateridge.
