Israeli offensive forces UN to pause Gaza aid operation

The United Nations has been forced to halt its humanitarian aid operations in Gaza, a senior official has warned, after Israel issued new evacuation orders for the city of Deir al-Balah.

- ANDY GREGORY

As the latest round of high-level talks for a ceasefire in the 10month war – sparked by Hamas’s incursion into Israel on 7 October – ended without a final agreement on Sunday, Israel issued yet another evacuation order in a part of Deir al-Balah it said was now “considered a dangerous combat zone”.

City authorities say 250,000 people have so far been displaced there in recent weeks, with families forced to sleep without shelter on roads and the nearby beach, as the UN warned of an 85 per cent shortfall in water due to just three out of the city’s 18 wells remaining operational.

And a senior UN official, speaking anonymously to Reuters yesterday, warned that, “as of this morning, we’re not operating in Gaza” to deliver humanitarian aid because “we’re unable to deliver today with the conditions that we’re in”.

“We’re not leaving [Gaza], because the people need us there,” the official said, adding that staff on the ground have been directed to try and find a way to keep operating. “We’re trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the UN personnel.”

The UN previously relocated its main command operations for the Gaza Strip and most personnel to Deir al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah, they said, adding: “Where do we move now? ... The space to operate is being restricted more and more than ever.”