UNRWA: 1.9 million people were forcibly displaced in Gaza Strip
GAZA, April 05 (YPA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Saturday that approximately 1.9 million people have been forcibly displaced in the Gaza Strip.
In a post on its Facebook page, UNRWA explained that since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, everyone, including thousands of children, has experienced repeated forced displacement amid tragic circumstances of bombardment, fear, and loss.
The collapse of the ceasefire has triggered a new wave of displacement, affecting more than 142,000 people between March 18 and 23, the agency added.
UNRWA cited a girl named Jana, whom it met for the first time in August 2024 and again at the end of last month, stressing that Jana and all children need an immediate ceasefire.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated on Friday that the humanitarian crisis caused by the fighting in the Gaza Strip has led to a collapse of the social system.
Lazzarini explained via the “X” platform that residents are suffering from hunger and that cases of chaos and looting have become widespread, citing a recent incident when a man fired a gunshot into the air at a UNRWA aid distribution center, followed by looting and vandalism of the center and surrounding buildings.
He pointed out that this behavior was not an isolated incident but rather a result of the harsh living conditions that have exhausted the population, emphasizing that the reason for these actions is the extreme stress people are experiencing as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Lazzarini also called on the warring parties to resolve their differences and resume implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
It is worth noting that Israel recently resumed its military operations against the Gaza Strip, ending a fragile truce that had lasted for about two months since last January under Egyptian-Qatari-American sponsorship, and it launched a series of intensive airstrikes and heavy shelling on various areas of the Strip.
YPA