The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman announced on Monday that some 400,000 Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the resumption of Israeli military operations on March 18.
Stéphane Dujarric said, “Survivors in Gaza are being repeatedly displaced, forced into an ever-shrinking space where their basic needs cannot be met.” Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents were displaced at least once between October 7, 2023, and the start of the ceasefire in January.
The heads of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Tom Fletcher; the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; the Director-General of UNICEF, Catherine Russell; and the Director-General of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, also called on the world to “act urgently to save the lives of Palestinians in Gaza.”
They added in a joint statement, “The people of Gaza are once again besieged, bombarded, and starved, while food, medicine, fuel, and shelters pile up at crossings and vital equipment is blocked,” after more than a month of Israeli blockades of aid. UN officials stressed that “assurances that there is enough food to feed the Palestinians are far removed from the reality on the ground, as stocks are extremely low.” They continued, “We are witnessing acts of war in Gaza that demonstrate a blatant disregard for huma life.”
