90% of Gaza population forced to flee amid ongoing conflict

By richardbrown // 2024-08-27

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A senior United Nations official revealed on Aug. 22 that Israel's forced evacuation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip has displaced approximately 90 percent of the territory's population. UN Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Muhannad Hadi described the situation as catastrophic, with families fleeing under bombardment and carrying only essential belongings. He emphasized that Palestinian civilians are deprived of shelter, humanitarian supplies and medical assistance and are being forced to move from one devastated area to another with no respite. (Related: Daniel Kovalik: Gaza residents have been forced to flee their homes and "safe zones" multiple times as IDF relentlessly bombs civilian areas.) "They are forcing families to flee again, often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them, into an ever-shrinking area," Hadi said as he urgently called for measures to protect civilians, release hostages, facilitate humanitarian access and agree to a ceasefire. Andrea De Domenico, head of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territories, reported that approximately 1.9 million people in Gaza are currently displaced. This relentless cycle of displacement has left many with shattered lives and dwindling hopes. The situation has also severely impacted UN staff and humanitarian operations. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported that the World Food Program (WFP) lost access to its warehouse in Deir al-Balah, which was the last operational warehouse in Gaza's central region. Additionally, WFP's five community kitchens in the area have been evacuated, forcing the agency to seek new locations for these vital services. This unprecedented level of internal displacement is among the highest recorded in modern history. The 2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement estimated that around 76 million people globally were displaced by conflict and violence by the end of last year, underscoring the severity of Gaza's crisis. Meanwhile, the ongoing military operations have effectively split the Gaza Strip in two, with an estimated 300,000 to 350,000 people in northern Gaza unable to travel to the south. Since the conflict began, about 110,000 people managed to leave Gaza before the Rafah crossing into Egypt was closed in early May. Some have stayed in Egypt, while others have continued to other destinations. The ongoing conflict erupted after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, predominantly civilians, and the seizure of 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still held in Gaza. Israel's retaliatory offensive has claimed at least 37,953 lives in Gaza, with the majority being civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry. Suze van Meegen, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) head of operations, recently left Gaza and highlighted the severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis there. She criticized the normalization of extreme violence and the use of designated "humanitarian zones" as battlefields, which undermines civilian protection. "We've become so desensitized to the images of brutality and devastation in Gaza that it feels disturbingly normal. But it's far from normal for an entire population to live in perpetual fear and overwhelming grief. It's not normal for schools and hospitals to be more dangerous than other places. It's not normal for a community to bury hundreds of people each week," Meegen said.

Israeli airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza amid ceasefire talks

High-level talks were held in Cairo over the weekend on a possible ceasefire mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, Qatar's foreign minister and Egypt's spy chief met Saturday evening, Aug. 24, as per Egyptian officials with direct knowledge of the talks. Hamas delegation also arrived the same day to attend the meeting. Despite this, Israeli forces carried out multiple airstrikes killing at least three dozen Palestinians in southern Gaza, health workers said. Among the dead were 11 members of a family, including two children, after an airstrike hit their home in Khan Younis. Nasser Hospital received a total of 33 bodies from three strikes in and around the city that also hit tuk-tuks and passersby. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said it received three bodies from another strike. Meanwhile, first responders recovered 16 bodies from the Hamad City area of Khan Younis after a partial pullout of Israeli forces, 10 bodies from a residential block west of Khan Younis and two farther south in Rafah as per an AP journalist. The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear, but the areas were repeatedly bombed by the Israeli military over the past week. Some residents returned to Hamad City, crunching on rubble as they walked between destroyed apartment buildings. One multi-story building's entire wall was gone, its rooms framing residents picking through debris. "There is nothing, no apartment, no furniture, no homes, only destruction," said Neveen Kheder, a survivor. "We are dying slowly. You know what, if they gave a mercy bullet it would be better than what is happening to us." Head over to IsraelCollapse.com to read more news about the escalating Israel-Palestine war. Watch the video below that exposes the massive profiteering of ceasefire negotiators off the continuing Gaza war. This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.

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Israeli airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza amid ceasefire talks

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