SAEDNEWS: The United Nations announced on Tuesday that more than 36,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip since Israel unleashed its latest wave of aggression on Gaza City earlier this month.
“People continue to flee in fear for their lives, seeking safety wherever possible,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
According to UN figures, between Aug. 14, when Israel declared its new offensive on Gaza City, and Aug. 26, more than 36,200 displacements were recorded, including 11,600 civilians forced from the north to the south of the Strip. Over 2,000 people were newly displaced between Aug. 24 and 25 alone.
The majority fled from neighborhoods in Gaza City, with more than two-thirds seeking shelter in Deir al-Balah and nearly a third pushed toward Khan Younis.
Dujarric stressed that Israel’s bombardment has left civilians bearing the brunt of the violence. “Hostilities across the Gaza Strip, including Israeli shelling and airstrikes, continue to have a devastating impact on civilians,” he said.
The Israeli military has also issued yet another forced displacement order covering about one square kilometer in Gaza City’s Ad Daraj and Ash Sheikh Radwan neighborhoods.
Aid efforts remain strangled by Israeli restrictions. Out of 12 humanitarian missions planned on Monday that required Israeli approval, only six were allowed to proceed, three were obstructed, two were cancelled, and one road repair mission in Khan Younis was outright denied, Dujarric noted.
Since October 2023, Israel’s relentless onslaught has killed nearly 63,000 Palestinians in Gaza, reducing the besieged enclave to rubble and pushing its population to the brink of famine.
The International Criminal Court last November issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also on trial at the International Court of Justice over charges of genocide for its war on the Palestinian people.
