Overview of the situation - UN demands protection for civilian population in Gaza City
In light of the evacuation call by the Israeli army for the contested city of Gaza, the United Nations urge unconditional protection of the civilian population. "These civilians must be shielded, and their essential needs must be addressed, regardless of whether they flee or remain," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) based in Geneva stated. All parties involved in the Gaza conflict should respect humanitarian law at all times, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated in New York. The extent of the fighting and destruction in the past few days during ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire were "truly shocking".
Evacuation orders are usually a sign of upcoming Israeli military operations. Israeli media and residents reported that the army distributed flyers in the Gaza city on Wednesday, urging people to leave the affected areas. According to residents, a large portion of the affected population refuses to leave.
In the city in the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops had clashed at the beginning of the war. Now, fighters of the Islamist Hamas are attempting to regroup there and elsewhere. The city is most heavily affected by the devastation from the war.
Impact on humanitarian aid
OCHA warned that such "evacuation orders" repeatedly negatively impact humanitarian aid for people in the Gaza Strip. The office expressed concern that the order would "only intensify the suffering for Palestinian families, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times."
Intensified fighting in Gaza City led to "the largest evacuation since October," according to the World Food Programme (WFP) via X. The UN-supported kitchens are often the only source of food for families. However, the unpredictable situation in the area severely limits aid.
General situation
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territories, Muhannad Hadi, informed UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday about the situation in the Gaza Strip. Hadi had previously visited the war-torn area. He witnessed firsthand the consequences of the collapse of public order and security as he entered and exited Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. Hadi quoted, "I saw groups of men waiting for trucks that wanted to leave Gaza via Kerem Shalom in the south. All trucks were heavily damaged – with smashed windshields, mirrors, and hoods. Sacks of enriched flour from the WFP and UNRWA lay scattered along the roadside. Hadi also saw that the city of Khan Younis was largely destroyed."
In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of people had to leave their houses and homes due to the fighting between the Israeli military and the islamist Hamas group. The cause of the Gaza War was the unprecedented massacre with over 1,200 fatalities, committed by Hamas terrorists and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the health authority controlled by Hamas, over 38,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. The number, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, cannot be independently verified at this time.
Fighting in Gaza City overshadows negotiations
The renewed intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip also overshadows the indirect negotiations over a ceasefire. The talks also involve a prisoner swap deal for hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The latest round of talks in the Qatari capital Doha is considered crucial in determining whether an agreement between Hamas and Israel can be reached. After a long standstill, there had been signs of progress in the difficult negotiations.
The Hamas had demanded an end to the war as a prerequisite for a hostage deal. However, the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is not willing to comply. The US, Egypt, and Qatar are mediating between the warring parties.
USA to resume supplying heavy bombs to Israel
According to reports in the "Wall Street Journal," the US is planning to resume supplying Israel with 500-pound bombs soon, which the Biden administration had suspended a few weeks ago. The bombs could be transported to Israel in the coming weeks, according to US government sources. "Heavier 2,000-pound bombs, which were part of the same delivery, are being held back."
The US had halted the delivery of heavier bombs to encourage Israel's military to spare the civilian population during its offensive in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. At the end of June, the Israeli Defense Minister announced in Washington that the obstacles to the munitions supply had been removed.
- The UN-Speaker, Stéphane Dujarric, urged in New York for unconditional protection of the civilian population in Gaza, given the evacuation call by the Israeli army.
- Despite the evacuation call in the Gaza Strip, a large portion of the affected population refuses to leave, according to residents.
- The city in the north of the Gaza Strip, heavily affected by the war, was the site of clashes between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters at the beginning of the conflict.
- OCHA expressed concern that the evacuation order in the Gaza Strip would negatively impact humanitarian aid, intensifying the suffering for Palestinian families.
- In the middle of ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire, the World Food Programme reported the largest evacuation since October due to intensified fighting in Gaza City.
- Muhannad Hadi, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territories, informed Guterres about the situation in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the consequences of the collapse of public order and security.
- The cause of the Gaza War was an unprecedented massacre with over 1,200 fatalities, committed by Hamas terrorists and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7, 2023.
- The fighting between the Israeli military and the islamist Hamas group forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes in the Gaza Strip.
- The Biden administration had suspended the supply of 500-pound bombs to Israel a few weeks ago, but reports suggest the US is planning to resume the supply to support Israel in its offensive in Rafah.
- The latest round of indirect negotiations over a ceasefire in Doha includes a prisoner swap deal, with the US, Egypt, and Qatar serving as mediators between Hamas and Israel.
