The directive, issued by the Israeli military, follows evacuation orders issued in several parts of the city in recent days.
“These civilians must be protected – and their essential needs must be met, whether they flee or stay,” OCHAsaid.
“This is what we mean when we say that all parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times.”
Ceasefire talks resume
The situation is developing as a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza resumed in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday.
“We are of course following these developments closely. The Secretary-General is being kept informed,” said UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric in New York.
“Our message to the parties is that they must find the political courage to make this deal – in the interest of the people of Gaza, in the interest of the people of Israel, in the interest of the hostages, to make this deal.”
Relief efforts affected
Meanwhile, the UN and partners continue their efforts to support displaced communities in Gaza.
OCHA noted, however, that the evacuation orders “also force the humanitarian community to repeatedly restart their relief efforts.”
“Aid workers are responding, but what they can deliver falls far short of the needs,” Muhannad Hadi, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Wednesday in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
He stressed that “more funding is urgently needed – as is a safe, enabling environment in Gaza.”
Mr Hadi visited Deir Al-Balah on Tuesday, where he witnessed first-hand the impact of the disruption to public order and security as he entered and exited the Kerem Shalom crossing, OCHA reported.
“He saw groups of men with sticks waiting for trucks leaving the Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza. All the trucks he passed were badly damaged, with broken windshields, mirrors and hoods,” the agency added.
The humanitarian coordinator also saw bags of fortified flour from the World Food Programme (World Food Programme) and the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) scattered along the road coming from Kerem Shalom.
The top official “also saw that the city of Khan Younis had been largely reduced to sand and rubble, with not a single building left untouched.”
Meeting with Palestinian women
During his stay in Gaza, Mr. Hadi met women’s organizations who told him about the dire conditions in the reception centers for displaced people.
Many women have cut their hair because of lice, difficulty obtaining shampoo and other personal hygiene products, and lack of privacy, for example. Others expressed despair at the inability to provide for their families, especially family members living with disabilities and those who are sick.
Women also reported on how extreme overcrowding in IDP camps can lead to tensions within communities. They also said that overcrowding, desperation and the breakdown of public order and security fuel an increase in sexual and gender-based violence.
Mr. Hadi also visited the IMC field hospital in Deir Al-Balah, together with the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hanan Balkhy.
“Mr. Hadi said he was humbled to see doctors and nurses providing trauma care to hundreds of patients with serious injuries despite near-impossible operational conditions, including the inability to access basic medical supplies such as gauze,” the agency said.
West Bank attacks
OCHA also reported on Wednesday that the documented more than 1,000 attacks by Israeli settlers Since October, violent attacks against Palestinians have been taking place in the West Bank, causing casualties and damage to property, trees and saplings.
Nearly 1,400 people, including 660 children, from more than two dozen Bedouin and pastoralist communities have been displaced over the same period due to settler violence and access restrictions.
OCHA reported that Israeli forces in the West Bank killed 14 Palestinians between 2 and 8 July, the vast majority during two operations in the towns of Jenin and Tulkarm and adjacent refugee camps.
