400,000 people trapped in northern Gaza, UN warns
Displaced people arrive in Khan Yunis after being given notice by Israeli forces to evacuate from the eastern parts of the city in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024, on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)
U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees issued a dire warning that at least 400,000 people are trapped in northern Gaza as Israel’s war on Palestine intensifies.
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, described the situation as “no end to hell,” with residents of the region having no safe place to flee amid ongoing Israeli military operations.
Many of those trapped are residents of the Jabalia refugee camp, the largest of the eight urban refugee camps in Gaza, who have refused to comply with Israeli evacuation orders to move southward.
Israeli forces have surrounded Jabalia and nearby neighborhoods since Sunday, urging civilians to relocate to al-Mawasi, a designated “humanitarian zone” that has itself been targeted by airstrikes and is overcrowded with displaced people.
The Israeli military has justified its presence in Jabalia, claiming its operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas military infrastructure and preventing the group from regrouping. However, Lazzarini stressed that civilians, especially children, are bearing the brunt of the conflict.
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepening
Lazzarini highlighted the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, noting that UNRWA shelters and services are being forced to close for the first time since the war began. With critical supplies nearly exhausted, hunger is spreading among the trapped population.
In a social media post, Lazzarini expressed deep concern for the well-being of Gaza’s children, warning that the ongoing military operation is threatening to halt the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign.
“Children, as ever, are the first and most to suffer. They deserve so much better. They deserve a cease-fire now. They deserve a future,” he said.
The commissioner’s calls for an immediate cease-fire come amid international concerns about the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the conflict shows no signs of abating.
