Over 423,000 People Cross from Southern to North Gaza: UN

Gaza, MINA – The United Nations reported on Wednesday that nearly 430,000 people have moved from the southern Gaza Strip to the north.

“Our humanitarian partners estimate that more than 423,000 people have crossed from south to north since the opening of the Salah Ad-Din and Al Rashid roads on Monday,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press conference, Anadolu Agency reported.

Saying that aid workers on the ground were providing food, water and hygiene kits to those on the move, Dujarric said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was “distributing identification bracelets for children to help families stay safe and connected during the journey.”

“Those on the move also include unaccompanied children, pregnant women, the elderly, the chronically ill and people with disabilities and those in need of ongoing medical care,” he added.

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Dujarric also highlighted the “dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian and protection situation” in the Occupied West Bank.

“Israeli forces continue their operations in the Jenin and Tulkarm governorates in the northern West Bank. We have repeatedly expressed concern over the use of lethal war-like tactics during these operations,” he said.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric reported that “civilian infrastructure has been destroyed and essential services have been disrupted” in the Occupied West Bank.

He said nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been displaced due to the disruption of essential services.

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Asked about Israel’s ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) that will come into effect on Thursday, Dujarric said the UN has “taken several measures” and reiterated that the UN agency “will continue to carry out its mandate, “until it is physically unable to do so.”

Regarding possible threats by Israeli law enforcement against the Agency and its personnel, Dujarric said: “Personnel, both national and international, need to be protected under international law and under Israel’s obligations under international law.”

Dujarric also noted that no guarantees have been given by Israel to the UN to protect its staff.

Israel’s Knesset (parliament) voted in October to ban UNRWA operations in the Israeli-occupied territories, alleging that UNRWA employees were involved in a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 — a charge UNRWA denies.

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The ban, which comes amid ongoing hostilities in Gaza, has raised concerns about disruptions to vital aid for millions of Palestinian refugees. UN officials have repeatedly warned that the move could worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis. []

Mi’raj News Agency MINA)

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