90% of Gaza Residents Displaced by Israel’s Evacuations: UN

Ongoing evacuations ordered by Israel in Gaza have displaced 90 percent of the region’s residents, according to a United Nations (U.N.) official in the area.

Muhannad Hadi, the top U.N. humanitarian official in Gaza, said on Friday that a majority of the Palestinian territory’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced amid ongoing Israeli evacuation orders as the war between Israel and Hamas militants has continued since October 2023.

“They are forcing families to flee again, often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them, into an ever-shrinking area,” Hadi said on Friday, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The evacuations have resulted in many residents being unable to access any sort of medical care, water or other humanitarian supplies. Hadi said that the residents are “running from one destroyed place to another, with no end in sight” due to the evacuation orders.

Hadi called on Israel to protect civilians amid their ongoing war, saying that “the way forward is as clear as it is urgent: Protect civilians, release the hostages, facilitate humanitarian access, agree on a cease-fire.”

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also warned of the issues related to the ongoing evacuation orders and how it has impacted some U.N. personnel working in Gaza, noting that a U.N. World Food Program (WFP) warehouse was lost recently.

“This was the third and last operational warehouse in Gaza’s middle area,” Dujarric said. “Five community kitchens operated by WFP have also been evacuated, as the agency seeks new locations for them.”

The war in Gaza began after Hamas launched an attack against Israel last October, killing 1,250 people. Last week, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 40,000 since the start of the war.

Amid the ongoing war, there have been repeated calls for peace in Gaza and across the Middle East. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Israel had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.

“In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal,” Blinken said to the press, according to the AP. “The next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes.'”

However, on Wednesday, an official from Egypt, which has served as a mediator in ongoing peace talks, told the AP that Hamas was skeptical of the ceasefire, mainly expressing concerns over if the ceasefire will actually result in Israel removing their troops from Gaza.

“The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees…Hamas won’t accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent cease-fire,” the Egyptian official, told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.