According to the organization’s figures, only 14% of the Gaza Strip’s territory has been freed from these provisions since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7.
More than 200,000 people – about nine percent of Gaza’s current population – have been displaced over the past week following new orders from the Israeli military, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Families are forced to move again and again, knowing that there is no security in the Gaza Strip,” said the organization’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, regretfully.
The orders are renewed every two days, forcing Gazans to flee, usually on foot or, for those who can afford it, by donkey cart.
“Almost all Gazans have been affected by these orders. Many have had to flee at least once a month since the start of the war,” he said in a message posted on social media site X, formerly Twitter.
According to the senior official, this tactic only increases the misery, fear and suffering of people who have nothing to do with the conflict.
Lazzarini also condemned the destruction of the agency’s school facilities and their use for military purposes, which is contrary to international humanitarian law.
More than half of the school buildings used as shelters have been affected, and UN agencies condemn “the clear trend that the majority of schools in the Gaza Strip are linked to areas targeted by evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military.”
According to these estimates, 84 percent of Gaza’s schools will need to be completely rebuilt or undergo major rehabilitation work before they can operate again.
UNRWA has classified at least 133 school buildings as damaged, affecting 153,000 students and 5,700 teachers.
As a result, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s school students have lost their schools and the same number of teachers have lost their jobs.
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