UN Agencies Report 150,000 Flee Southern Gaza City Amid Israeli Attacks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Two United Nations agencies reported that approximately 150,000 people have fled the southern city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip since Monday, as the Israeli regime continues its devastating onslaught on the besieged territory.
Louise Wateridge, from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), stated on Wednesday that the Palestinians fled the city following Israel's latest evacuation order.
"Over 80% of the Gaza Strip has been placed under evacuation orders or designated as no-go zones by the Israeli military," Wateridge said.
She added that people are moving to Dayr al-Balah and western Khan Yunis, which are already “extremely overcrowded” areas.
“They’ve got limited shelters and limited services available. They can barely accommodate the people who are already in these areas,” Wateridge continued.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reported that, by monitoring population movements on the ground, it has assessed that 150,000 people had fled Khan Yunis.
The agency noted that many people were “trapped in the evacuation area,” including “people with reduced mobility and family members supporting them.”
On Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for eastern parts of Khan Yunis.
The Israeli authorities instructed the residents of Gaza's second-largest city to leave urgently to an unspecified location.
Earlier orders directed the Palestinians to go to the Mawasi area, but that camp city has repeatedly been attacked.
Such evacuation orders generally indicate imminent ground assaults by the Israeli military.
Israel launched its military campaign on Gaza on October 7 last year after Palestinian resistance groups carried out an operation against the Israeli forces in response to increasing violence against Palestinians.
Since the onset of the genocidal war, the Israeli military has been accused of committing war crimes in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring more than 90,000 others.