According to OHCHR, the Israeli military command is ordering residents of Gaza City to evacuate to areas where military operations are ongoing. UN experts: famine has already reached the entire Gaza Strip Peace and Security
“The recent death of several Palestinian children from hunger and malnutrition leaves no doubt that famine has already engulfed the entire Gaza Strip,” independent UN experts said on Tuesday.
The expert statement provides data that Fayez Ataya died on May 30, who was barely six months old. Thirteen-year-old Abdulkader Al-Serhi died on June 1 at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Bahl. Nine-year-old Ahmad Abu Reida died on June 3 in Khan Yunis in a tent where his displaced family was sheltering. “All three children died from malnutrition and lack of access to adequate medical care,” experts said.
Forced displacement
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is “shocked” that Israeli military commanders are once again ordering residents of Gaza City, many of whom have been subjected to repeated forced displacement, to evacuate to areas where military operations are ongoing and where civilian deaths continue population.
“The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has repeatedly expressed concern that IDF evacuation orders are confusing and often direct people to move to areas where where military operations continue,” the statement said. “We once again call on Israel to do everything possible to ensure the safety of civilians in Gaza.”
OHCHR also expressed deep concern at the rapid deterioration of civil order in the Gaza Strip.
Hospitals closed or overwhelmed
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that evacuation orders in Gaza City would make it even more difficult to provide already limited humanitarian aid to local residents.
“Al-Ahli and Patient Friendly hospitals are not working,” he noted. “The patients either evacuated on their own, were discharged early, or were sent to the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals, which are already experiencing shortages of fuel, beds and trauma medications.”
The Indonesian hospital, according to Dr. Ghebreyesus, is currently three times overloaded. Al-Helu Hospital is under evacuation orders but remains partially operational. The Al-Sahaba and Al-Shifa hospitals are located in close proximity to the areas subject to evacuation, but continue to function. Six health posts and two primary health care centers are also located in the evacuation zones.
Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the human rights to address specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN employees and are not dependent on any government or organization. They work in a personal capacity and are not paid for their work.