UNITED NATIONS, Sept 21 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Gaza City ground assault and bombardment continue, forcing thousands of civilians to flee the attacks by cars, trucks, tuk-tuks, donkey carts and on foot, UN humanitarians said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the Zionist Israeli military attack is taking a heavy toll on battered and exhausted civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The office said that, as the offensive intensifies, the influx of newly displaced people arriving in the south of Gaza is putting even more stress on the already overstretched services, amid continued space shrinking in southern Gaza, due to overcrowding.
“Humanitarians on the ground report that, people are arriving deep into the night, many of them walking for long hours without food, water or shelter,” the office said. “The coastal Al Rashid Road remains extremely congested, as vehicles, donkey carts, tuk-tuks and people on foot make their way south, amid escalating attacks.”
Despite Israeli instructions for people fleeing south to use the Salah Ad Din Road, OCHA said, humanitarian partners reported it was impassable for vehicles. Israeli authorities announced that, the 48-hour window to use the road had closed, leaving Al Rashid the only passage available.
An OCHA-led interagency mission assessed displaced families in Khan Younis, noting urgent needs for shelter, food, water and medical care. Supplies entering Gaza remain below the threshold needed, and humanitarians require safer conditions to deliver aid consistently.
The UN Children’s Fund said, four trucks of therapeutic food were stolen at gunpoint in Gaza City on Thursday. The supplies would have supported at least 2,700 severely malnourished children. The fund said, a lasting ceasefire is necessary, to prevent such incidents and enable aid to reach those most in need.
OCHA said, access impediments persist. Zikim crossing, the only direct access to the north, remains closed. A mission to deliver fuel to Gaza City was aborted, after hours of waiting for approval. Congestion on Al Rashid Road later in the day made it impossible for aid convoys to reach Gaza City safely.
The office reminded that, displaced civilians must be allowed to flee safely, and to return once conditions permit.– NNN-XINHUA
