Hundreds of Palestinian families continued to flee Gaza City in the north of the enclave via the overcrowded coastal al-Rashid Street, amid a severe shortage of transportation and soaring travel costs, as Israeli military operations persist in the city.
This article is published in association with United Nations.
Hostilities between Israeli forces and Hamas have led to the shuttering of almost half of all malnutrition centres in and around Gaza City, the northern area of the Strip where famine was declared a month ago.
That’s according to the UN humanitarian aid coordination office, OCHA, and UN partners working to provide life-saving support to civilians in the face of continuing Israeli restrictions on aid.
The closure of nutrition services in Gaza governorate is hampering efforts to detect new famine victims and to keep treatment going for hundreds of children, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents in New York on Monday.
More than 160 deaths due to starvation
“On Friday, the Ministry of Health said that 162 people – including 32 children – have died from starvation and malnutrition since famine was confirmed,” he said.
As Israeli military operations have continued across the Strip, Palestinian Civil Defence teams said that over the last 10 days, they have carried out more than 50 rescue or recovery missions.
“Health services are also under severe strain,” Mr. Dujarric continued. “Today, the Ministry of Health in Gaza called on people to donate blood amid severe shortages in hospitals.”
He stressed yet again that no civilians should ever be targeted and civilian infrastructure must always be protected.
Crowded beaches, sleeping in the open
The growing number of civilians being forced to head south by Israel’s full-scale offensive to wrest control of Gaza City is putting mounting pressure on already strained services available in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, where conditions are dire, Mr. Dujarric said.
Tens of thousands are having to squeeze into tents along the beach or cram into school shelters, while others are “sleeping in the open on the rubble of destroyed buildings and houses.”
The UN is continuing to serve those in need, as much as possible: on Monday, seven out of 12 humanitarian missions coordinated with Israeli authorities were facilitated. While UN teams managed to collect health supplies from Kerem Shalom. A further two missions to retrieve food cargo were denied.
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