UN: at least 338,000 people in Gaza are displaced

Published October 12th, 2023 - 06:38 GMT
Gaza
Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment in Gaza City on October 11, 2023 on the fifth day of fighting between Israel and the Hamas movement. Israel declared war on Hamas on October 8 following a shock land, air and sea assault by the Gaza-based Islamists. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

ALBAWABA - Earlier today, The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that at least 338,000 Palestinians residing in Gaza have been displaced amid intensified Israeli aggression on the besieged strip. 

The OCHA statement comes following a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that more than 220,000 Palestinians have taken refuge in 88 of its schools across the Gaza Strip.

Hamada Al-Bayari, an OCHA official operating in Gaza, called for a humanitarian truce to allow relief workers to assess the situation in Gaza, as the situation deteriorates due to Israel's total blockade imposed on Gaza. 

In an earlier statement, UNRWA announced that due to the closure of all 14 of its food distribution sites, half a million Palestinians were no longer receiving crucial food aid. Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes continued to launch heavy bombings destroying complete neighbourhoods across Gaza. 

The conflict began when Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. 

Hamas claimed the attack was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers' increasing violence against Palestinians.

In response, the Israeli military began Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas sites in Gaza, utilizing warplanes to bombard public facilities, schools, residential neighborhoods, hospitals, and Gazan businesses. 

The latest Israeli aggression on Gaza resulted in the killing of at least 1232 Palestinians and the injuring of 5,943. Meanwhile, confrontations erupted in the West Bank in recent days resulting in the killing of 29 Palestinians and the injuring of 180. 

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