UN: Gaza’s Humanitarian Situation is Deteriorating Due to Displacement, Infrastructure Collapse

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating due to repeated waves of displacement, overcrowding, insecurity, collapsing infrastructure, ongoing aggression, and limited services. The OCHA stated that according to humanitarian workers in Gaza, the latest Israeli evacuation order issued by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) last Saturday affected about 13,500 displaced people in 18 locations, including the entire Maghazi camp area and several other neighborhoods in Deir al-Balah. The UN office warned that the ongoing aggression, evacuation orders, and severe shortages of essential supplies are making it more difficult for displaced families to access basic services in the locations they reach. Since October, 86 percent of the Gaza Strip has been under evacuation orders from the IOF, with most of Gaza's population increasingly concentrated in an area designated by the occupation authorities in Al-Maw asi. The population density in this area has increased to between 33 and 34 thousand people per square kilometer, compared to about 200 people before last October. On the health front, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a press conference that the severe fuel shortage is forcing hospitals to postpone essential surgeries, and threatens to stop the work of ambulances, especially in northern Gaza. The death toll from the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has risen to 40,139 martyrs and 92,743 injuries, the majority of whom are women and children. Source: Qatar News Agency