By Deutsche Welle
Aug 26, 2024, 7:37 PM EDT
The United Nations was forced to halt humanitarian operations by its agencies in the Gaza Strip on Monday following a new Israeli evacuation order from Deir al-Balah, the latest place to which it has had to relocate following successive previous evacuation orders, a senior official of the organisation announced.
“This morning I spoke to my security adviser on the ground and asked him: are there any operations this morning? And he said ‘no, impossible,'” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“People need us”
“This is due to yesterday’s (Sunday) evacuation orders affecting the Deir al Balah area, where we had relocated most of our personnel and operations following the Rafah evacuation order a few months ago.”
“This has brought us to the point where we cannot function. It is not a decision to stop operations, but on a practical level, we cannot function,” the source said.
The goal, he added, is to resume operations as soon as possible, and he said that they will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip because “the people need us.” He stressed, however, that under the current conditions they are unable to fulfill their obligations.
“Respect the UN buildings”
Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October, the UN has had to “delay or pause” its operations at times, “but never to the point of saying specifically that we can no longer do anything” as is happening now, the official added.
“We need to find solutions. If this means stopping for 24 or 48 hours and starting from scratch, we have to do that. Now, the challenge is to find a place where we can start from scratch and function effectively,” he added.
Asked what his main request would be to the Israeli government to ensure the continuity of operations, the official said that the Israeli army should “respect UN buildings,” whether they are warehouses or makeshift shelters, as well as the organization’s vehicles.
State of emergency declared
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a military state of emergency after launching airstrikes in Lebanon to thwart an imminent large-scale attack by the Shiite group Hezbollah, which also announced massive rocket and drone fire.
“The declaration of a state of emergency allows the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing places where it may be relevant,” Gallant said in a statement issued by his office.
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