The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said hostilities continued unabated across the Gaza Strip, with reports of airstrikes targeting tents and areas sheltering displaced families. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have continued to block aid from reaching the Strip for more than seven weeks.
In its latest update on Wednesday, the office warned that this blockade is depriving people of their means of survival and undermining all aspects of civilian life.
It reported that a team from OCHA conducted an assessment on Tuesday at two locations in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis that were subjected to Israeli shelling on Sunday and Monday, killing eight people and wounding more than 12 others, most of them children, including a four-year-old boy who lost both of his legs. The team said that approximately 20 families lost their shelter and belongings in these two locations.
The office said its team visited two other sites in the Mawasi area on Tuesday, hosting approximately 2,500 displaced people, including many who fled following the recent displacement orders in Al-Qarara, Khan Yunis.
The team noted severe shortages of water, food, and shelter, as well as a lack of mental health support for traumatized civilians.
The office explained that both communities visited rely entirely on daily hot meals from community kitchens, which are insufficient and frequently run out of food. It added that children are suffering from hunger, with reports of injuries during food distributions due to overcrowding and competition for available food.
