Multiple Israeli strikes kill dozens near UN aid hub in Gaza as thousands flee fighting

New York: Multiple Israeli strikes have killed dozens of people in central Gaza, landing just 100 metres from a humanitarian hub, UN agencies said on Tuesday, as thousands continue to face displacement amid the ongoing war.

Reports of strikes landing near an aid centre in Deir Al-Balah came from the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, said UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who provided updates on the situation in the besieged enclave.

“The (aid) operations are continuing,” he told journalists at UN Headquarters. “But, if there’s a strike 100 metres away from the place where you work, it just adds to an already overwhelming level of stress for our colleagues not to mention the impact it has on civilians who are routinely killed in these strikes.”

Gazans also continued to face numerous evacuation orders from the Israeli military nine months into the conflict, which was sparked by Hamas-led attacks in multiple Israeli locations that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 taken hostage.

Families joined the exodus from Gaza City to Deir Al-Balah, with more than 1,000 people crossing over the past week, mainly on donkey carts, motorcycles or by car, the UN Spokesperson said.

“Many of those people have told us that they have been displaced dozens of times,” Dujarric added.

As a result, UN teams have been deployed along the route to provide water, hot meals, food and health services to those fleeing Gaza City, he noted.

In terms of fuel needed to operate humanitarian services, he said shortages persist.

“The lack of fuel continues to hinder the work of basic service providers, including hospitals, ambulances, bakeries and aid trucks,” he said. “Over the past two weeks, we’ve been able to collect over 80,000 litres of fuel per day on average.”

While that’s an improvement from the previous daily average of 40,000 litres, Dujarric said it falls short of the 400,000 litres needed every day.

He said Israeli authorities are still not allowing the allocation of fuel to key local humanitarian responders, preventing them from transferring supplies within Gaza.

For its part, the UN took possession on Monday of 10 flatbed trucks to deliver aid, Dujarric said.

Despite enormous challenges, including shortages of medical supplies and medicines and the destruction of many clinics due to the war, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, continues to provide vital health services, working tirelessly to meet the growing health needs of the displaced.

For UN News, a media website, Ziad Taleb visited the agency’s clinic in Deir Al-Balah and met some of the displaced there, highlighting the immense suffering they are going through.

Amid the spread of infectious diseases and difficult living conditions, the UNRWA clinic remains a lifeline for many, providing free treatment and much-needed medical support.

Displaced people in the Gaza Strip are living in extremely difficult living conditions, Inas Hamdan, UNRWA’s public information director, said.

“Things are deteriorating dramatically with each passing day because this war has been going on for more than nine months,” she said. “The health situation is also very tragic because of the spread of diseases among the displaced, especially children.”

That includes skin diseases and viral hepatitis, in addition to gastrointestinal diseases and diarrhoea.

“There are a number of factors that led to this, the first of which is the lack of medical supplies and medicines needed to treat such cases,” she explained. “The most important thing is the living conditions that lack the most basic necessities of life inside tents or shelters. Most of these displaced people live in tents or shelters.”

Closed border crossings are making it increasingly difficult to bring in aid, including sufficient quantities of water alongside medical and hygiene supplies.

The majority of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million relies heavily on UNRWA clinics. Ashraf Abu Maghsib, a displaced person from eastern Deir Al-Balah, explained that he comes to UNRWA clinics because they provide free medicine, unlike pharmacies and other clinics that sell it at high prices.

Hiba Hassanein, who has been displaced from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, said “We chose the agency’s clinic because it provides free treatment to all citizens. We suffer from skin diseases, hepatitis and poor hygiene.”

Others echoed those concerns. Enas Othman, a displaced person from Jabalia in northern Gaza, said some of the most dangerous diseases are skin-related, pointing to the widespread presence of mosquitoes and the scarcity of potable water among displaced people. Indeed, the salty water causes many diseases, she added.

“We currently live in the Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis, which is a place full of insects that harm people and cause the spread of diseases,” she said.