UN deeply concerned about impact of new evacuation order in Gaza Strip

OCHA stressed that thousands of Gazans affected by the latest evacuation order have been displaced multiple times over the past eight months. The evacuation order, which Israel imposed on July 1, covers about a third of the Gaza Strip and has the largest impact since the October 2023 evacuation order for the northern part of the Mediterranean territory.

According to OCHA, such large-scale evacuations only add to the suffering of the Palestinian people and push humanitarian needs even higher.

OCHA reiterates that all parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. Civilians must be protected and their basic needs (including food, shelter, water and health) met, regardless of where they are in Gaza.

Humanitarian workers say people are reluctant to move. Some may have been moved two or three times to areas with little shelter or minimal infrastructure, or have stayed in areas where they know fighting will be fierce.

Also on July 2, referring to Israel's new evacuation order, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that people in Gaza currently have no safe place to live.

The ICRC said thousands of people were told to evacuate late in the day, including patients, their families and medical professionals who are vital to running the EGH. They fled in panic and fear. Wherever they went, they faced shortages of food, water, sanitation, health care and the prospect of being displaced again.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimates that nearly 250,000 people may have been residing in the evacuation areas at the time of the order. The new order affects more than 90 schools, four health posts and the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) site, many of which house displaced people. WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Rik Peeperkorn said the WHO had assisted in the removal of valuable medical equipment and supplies from the EGH, one of the few remaining major specialist hospitals in southern Gaza. However, Israeli authorities said on July 2 that the new order did not apply to patients or staff at the hospital.

On July 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 70 patients and health workers who had evacuated themselves. Many more patients were evacuated the following day. The UN High Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, said that to date, about 1.9 million people, or 80% of Gaza's population, have been displaced across the conflict-torn territory.

* On the same day, according to a VNA correspondent in the Middle East - North Africa, Director of the Arab Regional Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mr. Abdallah al-Dardari, said the cost of rebuilding the Gaza Strip could reach 50 billion USD.

Al-Dardari estimated the cost of the early recovery program at around $2 billion. The UNDP official stressed the need for a mechanism to ensure that there is a sufficient number of temporary housing available in Gaza immediately after the ceasefire, along with essential services such as health, education, drinking water, sanitation and electricity.

In a report released in early May this year, UNDP assessed that the Hamas-Israel conflict had caused huge losses in human lives, property and infrastructure in Gaza. The report noted that about 80,000 houses had been destroyed, leading to large-scale displacement and the risk of prolonged displacement. The conflict also caused depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution, while infrastructure such as water, sanitation, education and health facilities were severely damaged.