Nowhere safe in Gaza, UN says after Israeli evacuation order

AFP , Saturday 23 Dec 2023

Israel's latest evacuation order for civilians in the central Gaza Strip would force them to relocate to areas "where there are ongoing air strikes", the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Saturday.

Residents of the refugee camp of Bureij arrive in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following
Residents of the refugee camp of Bureij arrive in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip following an evacuation order. AFP

 

In the evacuation order issued on Friday, the Israeli army instructed residents in the Bureij refugee camp and surrounding areas to "leave immediately for their own security" and head towards Deir al-Balah city further south.

"People in Gaza are people. They are not pieces on a checkerboard -- many have already been displaced several times," Thomas White, Gaza director for the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, wrote on social media.

"The Israeli army just orders people to move into areas where there are ongoing air strikes. No place is safe, nowhere to go."

After the evacuation order, thousands of Palestinians fled the central Gaza Strip to the south on Friday.

UNRWA tweeted that the latest order would affect more than 150,000 people.

An estimated 1.9 million have been displaced by the war, according to the UN.

Israel launched a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, killing 20,057 people, according to the latest official toll.

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