Gaza Herald- Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) in Gaza, warned of the escalation of Israeli attacks in northern Gaza, aimed at forcing the population to flee their homes toward the south.
Following the Israeli evacuation orders, thousands of people have been forcibly displaced from their homes and tents under the scorching sun. They have desperately carried their belongings as they moved toward the south, Cherevko told Al Jazeera in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.
“Many are arriving and are not able to find any space,” Cherevko warned, as Israel continues to drop warning leaflets urging residents to evacuate the north. She noted that many families have returned to northern areas because of the overwhelming congestion in the south.
“The conditions here were already extremely overcrowded,” Cherevko said. “If you look at the sea, the tents go all the way to the waterline, and every time the tide rises, [the water] swallows more tents.”
Cherevko stated that hospitals in the territory are operating at up to 300 percent of their capacity and are completely overwhelmed. She noted a collapse of essential services as the number of injured people continues to rise, and warned that some hospitals face imminent closure.
“Despite the arrival of humanitarian aid, people in Gaza remain in dire conditions,” Cherevko said, adding that Israel has obstructed UN agencies from delivering assistance safely to civilians.
