Population devastated by repeated displacement, hunger and lack of medical supplies braces for further humanitarian disaster
Palestinians were gripped by fear and anxiety on Sunday after the Israeli military said it was preparing for the forcible displacement of 1 million people from Gaza City.
The announcement came days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of the territory’s largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm, and ahead of the IDF’s latest attacks in the Palestinian territory which Gaza’s health officials said had killed at least 40 people on Saturday including a baby in a tent and people seeking aid.
“Based on the directives of the political leadership, and as part of the Israel Defense Forces’ preparations to transfer civilians from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their safety, starting tomorrow [Sunday], the provision of tents and shelter equipment for Gaza residents will resume,” read a statement by the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT).
“The equipment will be transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international relief organizations, after undergoing thorough inspection by the Land Crossings Authority of the Ministry of Defense,” it added.
