UNRWA says Khan Younis shelters increased by 36 percent
The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees says on X that this rise in displaced Palestinians sheltering in its Khan Younis facilities has occurred since Israel began issuing evacuation orders for the southern city of Rafah early this month.
The majority of internally displaced Palestinians have been sheltering in Rafah for most of the war, but yesterday the UN said that over 900,000 people fled Rafah in the last two weeks – since Isreal began a military operation in the city.
UNRWA shared photos of its overcrowded Khan Younis shelters:
After evacuation orders from #Rafah, the population in @UNRWA facilities in Khan Younis alone has increased by 36%.
Photos taken yesterday show families living among rubble in damaged schools, lacking tents, essential services & vital supplies. No place is safe in the #GazaStrip pic.twitter.com/E5t2Qx6q7u
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 21, 2024
Israel’s evacuation orders shut down 2 Rafah health facilities: UNRWA
Scott Anderson, senior deputy director of UNRWA’s affairs in Gaza, says two health centres had to be shut down because of Israel’s recent evacuation orders of southern Rafah. That’s on top of the UN agency for Palestinians being unable to get sufficient supplies into the area, forcing the suspension of the agency’s aid operations in Rafah.
“We need a cessation of combat to have a safe environment so our staff can operate for the civilians, the innocent people that we treat,” he told Al Jazeera.
Ideally, there would be 350 trucks “at a minimum” entering Gaza each day, Anderson said, but only about 200 are getting in now. “It is unfortunate many of our staff have died during this conflict and they’re acting heroically to every day to continue to provide services to the people who are here,” he said, speaking from Rafah.
Famine will spread with aid operations ‘near collapse’ in Gaza
Abeer Etefa, a spokesperson for the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), warns “humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse”. If food and other supplies don’t resume entering Gaza “in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread”, she said.
Etefeh said WFP stopped distribution in Rafah after exhausting its stocks. It continues passing out hot meals in central Gaza and “limited distributions” of food packages there, but “food parcel stocks will run out within days”, she said.
Etefa said 10 trucks entered through the US-made pier on Friday and were taken to its warehouse in central Gaza. But a delivery Saturday of 11 trucks was stopped by crowds of Palestinians who took supplies, and only five trucks made it to the warehouse. No further deliveries came from the pier on Sunday or Monday, she said.
Entry of aid to Gaza through the two main crossings in the south has nearly ground to a halt the past two weeks since Israel launched an incursion into Rafah on May 6.
