OCHA Official warns against Israeli occupation evacuation orders for N. Gaza

A UN Official warned against the recent evacuation orders by Israeli occupation authorities for northern Gaza and their intensified ground operations, saying it will risk more death, destruction and another mass displacement of civilians. This remark came Wednesday by Lisa Doughten, Director of Financing and Partnerships Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in a Security Council briefing session, requested by Algeria and Slovenia, on the situation in the Middle East. "Evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, but the exact opposite is happening, as there is no safe place in Gaza," Doughten said. She added that "Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history," pointing out that "women are three times more likely to miscarry, and three times more likely to die from childbirth." She expressed her deep concern about the ongoing legislation to stop the activities of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), saying, "It would be disastrous for th e provision of aid and essential services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank." "As this conflict persists, civilians must have the essentials for their survival and be allowed to seek protection," she added. She pointed out that aid workers were only able to deliver a trickle of humanitarian aid through Israeli checkpoints. Doughten said, "The use of lethal force must comply with international human rights law and the standards governing law enforcement," Urging full respect for international law and compliance with the determinations of the International Court of Justice. She called on UN Member States to take steps to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a path towards sustainable peace. Source: Kuwait News Agency