UNRWA Reveals in Gaza Situation Report
Capacity Exceeded with 400,000 People in Shelters
Conditions Worse in Northern Gaza... "Medical Facilities Concentrated, Risky"
The United Nations (UN) expressed concern on the 16th (local time) that facilities protecting refugees in the Gaza Strip, which is under retaliatory airstrikes by Israel, have exceeded their capacity.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated in a Gaza Strip situation report on the same day, "Of the approximately 1 million refugees in Gaza, about 600,000 are located in the southern Khan Yunis and the border area of Rafah, and among them, 400,000 are staying in UNRWA shelters."
A Palestinian boy with a bandaged hand looks at the refugee camp in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, which was reduced to ruins by an Israeli airstrike on the 16th (local time). More than 4,000 people have died on both sides so far in the armed conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, which began on the 7th. 2023.10.16 [Image source=Yonhap News]
The report assessed that considering shelter space, stockpiled food, and drinking water, the number of 400,000 exceeds the support capacity.
The situation in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders, is even more dire. According to the report, about 170,000 refugees in Gaza City, the central area of Gaza, and the northern district are mainly staying in places converted into shelters such as school grounds or buildings.
UNRWA also reported that relief supplies are gathering at the logistics center in the Rafah area, the gateway connecting Egypt and Gaza, but the quantity is insufficient. Access to clean drinking water is severely limited throughout Gaza, and residents are resorting to using agricultural wells as a last measure, raising concerns about the spread of waterborne infectious diseases.
The concentration of medical facilities in the northern area under evacuation orders is also cited as a problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated, "In northern Gaza medical facilities, injured patients continue to arrive, and some patients are being treated in corridors or outdoors due to a shortage of hospital beds," adding, "Tens of thousands of displaced people are also using open spaces around hospitals as shelters, so if this area is bombed, their lives will also be at risk."
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