U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning that the last remaining lifelines “keeping people alive are collapsing,” as Israel launched fresh ground operations in Deir al-Balah.
“The last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing,” his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement. The U.N. chief “deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition.”
The statement from Guterres comes as Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, further expanding military operations in the besieged enclave.
The entrance of Israeli troops into the area where several aid groups are based appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors.
Deir al-Balah is the only Gazan city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, which has left dozens of thousands of Palestinians dead.
The Associated Press (AP) reporters heard explosions and saw smoke rising from parts of the city that were ordered evacuated on Sunday. The Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said it was the first time ground troops had operated in the area.
A man living in the evacuation zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said Israel dropped pamphlets at dawn ordering people to evacuate. Two hours later, tanks rolled into the area.
Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah during repeated waves of mass displacement in Gaza.
The U.N. humanitarian coordinator says 87.8% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders or inside Israeli military zones, “leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed.”
Israel says the seizure of territory in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release hostages, but it is a major point of contention in ongoing cease-fire talks.
The U.N. food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend. Gaza’s Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine.
In the latest sign of international frustration, the U.K., France and 23 other Western-aligned countries issued a statement saying “the war in Gaza must end now.”
They called for an immediate end to the war, saying that suffering had “reached new depths.”
“The Secretary-General notes that the intensification of hostilities in recent days comes as the humanitarian system is being impeded, undermined and endangered,” Dujarric said.
“A new evacuation order in parts of Deir el-Balah – home to tens of thousands – pushes people into more desperate conditions and further displacement and restricts the United Nations’ ability to deliver life-saving aid.”
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