Mass displacements in Gaza is having a grave impact on public health, Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General – 06 August 2024

06 August 2024

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OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that ongoing hostilities and repeated evacuation orders continue to severely constrain aid operations and deepen the suffering that Palestinians are facing.

OCHA says that our partners monitoring population movements in Gaza report that despite the recent evacuation orders, many families continue to stay in areas placed under evacuation due to high levels of insecurity and the lack of safety across Gaza, as well as harsh living conditions in displacement sites, where there is limited access to aid and basic services. They are also fatigued by multiple rounds of displacement.

Whether they move or stay, people in Gaza must be able to receive humanitarian assistance. Those who choose to leave their homes must be able to do so safely, and they must be allowed to return as soon as circumstances allow.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that mass displacement in Gaza is having a grave impact on public health, with overcrowding, a lack of proper shelter, and poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions increasing the dangers of communicable diseases. WHO says overcrowding is also raising the risk of mass casualties in attacks on heavily populated areas.

Meanwhile, the agency warns that the number of patients in need of medical evacuation outside Gaza is expected to increase, given the ongoing fighting and the shrinking capacity of the health system.

WHO continues to call for the establishment of multiple medical evacuation corridors out of Gaza to ensure the safe and timely passage of patients via all possible routes, including the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.

Meanwhile, OCHA says that active conflict, destroyed roads and infrastructure, access denials and delays, a lack of public order and safety, and other challenges continue to hamper efforts to move aid in Gaza and therefore reach Palestinians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance that they rely on. We must be able to deliver to people in need wherever they are in Gaza.

OCHA reports that the Kerem Shalom Crossing was closed today due to military operations. This has prevented the transport of critical supplies, as well as the entry of humanitarian personnel into Gaza. Meanwhile, the Erez West crossing has been closed since 2 August due to maintenance work. Humanitarian supplies have been redirected to the Erez crossing.

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