UN aid operations in Gaza halted after Israel evacuation orders

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations aid operations in Gaza (Aug 26) ground to a halt on Monday after Israel issued new evacuation orders on Sunday for Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip where the UN operations center was located, said a senior UN official.
The evacuation order came as the UN prepares to begin on Saturday a campaign to vaccinate an estimated 640,000 children in Gaza, where the World Health Organization (WHO) said a 10-month-old baby had been paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
“We’re unable to deliver today with the conditions that we’re in,” said the senior UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “As of this morning, we’re not operating in Gaza.”
The United Nations had relocated its main operations center for the Gaza Strip and most UN personnel to Deir Al-Balah, the official said, after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah in the south of Gaza several months ago.
“Where do we move now?” said the official, adding that UN staff had to be moved so quickly that equipment was left behind.
The Israeli military’s humanitarian unit (COGAT) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The senior UN official said UN staff on the ground had been directed to try and find a way to keep operating. He said UN operations had not been formally suspended.
“We’re not leaving (Gaza) because the people need us there,” the official said. “We’re trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel.”
The current war in the Gaza Strip began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel’s military has levelled swathes of the Palestinian enclave, destroying homes, hospitals, and schools. The bombardment has internally displaced nearly 2.3 million people, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 40,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
“The humanitarian response here is being completely strangled and limiting our ability of what we can do,” said Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for UNRWA in Gaza, on Monday.