Displaced Palestinian Families Struggle for Access to Basic Services — Global Issues
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 24 (IPS) – Israel’s latest evacuation order on August 17 resulted in the expulsion of more than 13,000 people, Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told a press conference at UN headquarters.
The forum held on October 19, 2024 detailed the impact of the ongoing war since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The evacuation order was the latest in a series of Israeli government actions that have exacerbated the ongoing human misery in Gaza. Conditions in the region are dire, with Palestinians facing shortages of food, clean water, fuel, and health care, as well as frequent bombings, disease outbreaks, and displacement.
The number of Palestinians killed during the Israel-Hamas War this past year is more than anywhere else during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although it is difficult to identify the exact number of lives lost in the Gaza Strip, it is confirmed that it exceeds 40,000.
During a press conference at the UN headquarters on August 14, 2024, the deputy spokesman of the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, said, “The bombing and hostilities in Gaza continue to kill, injure and displace the Palestinian people, as well as damage and destroy the homes and infrastructure they depend on.” in it… In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers and soldiers killed five Palestinians between August 6 and August 12. Another 54 Palestinians, including 11 children, were also injured at the same time.”
In addition to death and displacement, Palestinians have been forced to move into refugee camps and live in the remains of children’s schools and hospitals, which were bombed and are now almost completely neglected.
Earlier this month, the spokesman for the Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric, said, “Continuous conflicts, frequent evacuation orders, and severe shortages of essential items make it very difficult for affected families to find basic services where they arrive.”
Dujarric added that severe fuel shortages are hampering the operation of health facilities, as ambulances and important surgeries are often stopped or postponed. This is especially concerning as the Palestinian people need wider access to health care, many of whom suffer from disease, malnutrition, and life-threatening injuries due to constant Israeli blockades, shelling, and displacement.
There were also concerns that humanitarian aid was being denied.
According to Haq, the Israeli authorities have rejected almost a third of the aid to Gaza since August 1. The cumulative effect of these access constraints is to perpetuate a continuous cycle of deprivation and distress among the affected people who face death, pain, hunger and thirst. every day.”
This builds on an earlier statement from Dujarric that while 500 aid trucks are sent to the Gaza Strip every day, a daily average of 159 trucks are allowed to enter without restriction.
Israel denies blocking humanitarian aid.
The International Court of Justice earlier this year ordered Israel to stop its military offensive in the Rafah area. This followed an earlier order that Israel should take all measures to prevent any acts contrary to the 1948 Holocaust Convention. South Africa raised the issue that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war led to a humanitarian crisis and mass killings, which may result in genocide.
IPS UN Bureau Report
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
Source link
