DaysofPal- A senior United Nations official has warned that famine in Gaza could soon spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis unless urgent action is taken to allow humanitarian aid and protect civilians.
Tom Fletcher, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in a statement Tuesday that the Israeli latest displacement threat in Gaza City comes just two weeks after famine was officially confirmed in the governorate and amid an intensifying military assault.
“There is only a slim chance to prevent famine from spreading to Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis by the end of September,” Fletcher cautioned, stressing that the death, destruction, starvation, and displacement of Palestinians are the result of deliberate choices that violate international law and disregard the global community.
He urged the unhindered entry of humanitarian aid, the protection of civilians, the implementation of International Court of Justice (ICJ) provisional measures, and an immediate ceasefire.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported last Friday that the assault on Gaza City had intensified, further damaging civilian life and essential infrastructure critical for survival.
Agnes Callamard, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said nearly one million Palestinians remain in northern Gaza.
“They are now being pushed into shrinking areas in the west of the Gaza Strip under extremely difficult humanitarian conditions,” she noted.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli genocide in Gaza has resulted in at least 64,522 Palestinian deaths and 163,096 injuries, the majority of whom are women and children, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli war has displaced hundreds of thousands, creating what UN agencies have repeatedly described as one of the worst humanitarian crises of the century.
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