Israel UN forced to evacuate its humanitarian aid hub in Gaza

The United Nations had to evacuate its humanitarian aid hub in the Gaza Strip for the second time on the orders of the Israeli military. The hub with camps and accommodation for staff had already been relocated once before the advance of Israeli soldiers in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip at the beginning of May.

The new hub with accommodation, offices and storage rooms for humanitarian goods was set up in Deir al-Balah further north. However, an evacuation order was also issued for the area on Sunday. A spokesperson for the UN emergency aid office OCHA in Geneva said that every effort would be made to maintain supplies despite this.

Military actions against terrorist facilities or terrorists

Israel is calling on civilians to leave residential areas if military installations or representatives of the terrorist organization Hamas are suspected there and a military strike is imminent. According to OCHA, since the devastating terrorist attacks on Israel organized from the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli military action, there have been evacuation calls for almost 90 percent of the Gaza Strip.

Warehouses and emergency shelters affected

Since Friday, evacuation orders have been issued for 19 neighborhoods in the northern Gaza Strip and in Deir al-Balah, the spokesperson said. There were 15 buildings in which employees of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations and their families lived. Four UN warehouses for relief supplies, a water reservoir, a desalination plant, three wells, two smaller clinics and a hospital were also affected. There are also 29 emergency shelters for displaced people in the areas.