GENEVA: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating due to repeated waves of displacement, overcrowding, insecurity, collapsing infrastructure, ongoing hostilities, and limited services.

According to humanitarian workers in Gaza, the latest Israeli evacuation order issued last Saturday affected some 13,500 displaced people in 18 locations, which they said included the entire Maghazi camp area and several other neighborhoods in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

OCHA warned that the ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders, and severe shortages of essential supplies are making it increasingly difficult for displaced families to access basic services in the locations they arrive at.

Since October, 86% of the Gaza Strip has been under evacuation orders, with the majority of Gaza’s population increasingly concentrated in an area designated by the occupation authorities in Al-Mawasi.

According to OCHA, the population density in this area has increased to between 33 and 34 thousand people per square kilometer, compared to about 200 people before last October.

On the health front, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in his daily press conference that the severe fuel shortage is forcing hospitals to postpone essential surgeries, and threatens to stop the work of ambulances, especially in northern Gaza.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA