UN humanitarians welcome Israel's lifting of Gaza shelter ban

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians on Monday welcomed Israel's decision to lift the shelter ban in Gaza but warned that plans to intensify military operations will have a horrific impact on people already deprived of basics needed for survival.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the looming expansion of military operations in Gaza City would displace thousands of people, once again, into an overcrowded area in the south of the Gaza Strip, which is almost devoid of basic infrastructure, including water, food and medical services.

The office said that since early March, when the Israeli shelter ban came into force, more than 780,000 new displacements have taken place. Existing shelters have deteriorated or been left behind amid repeated displacement orders.

Humanitarian partners estimate that at least 1.35 million people need emergency shelter and some 1.4 million need essential household items.

"The situation in the Gaza Strip is beyond catastrophic," the office said. "Amid ongoing hostilities and extreme hunger, more deaths are recorded every day."

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that it is doing everything possible to deliver food to people. However, supplies remain far below needs, less than half of the WFP's daily target. Organized distributions, WFP-supported hot meals and bakeries depend on far more aid entering Gaza.

OCHA said Gaza's health authorities reported that five people, including two children, died over the past 24 hours due to malnutrition and starvation.

The office said that to prevent such deaths, humanitarians must be able to deliver aid at scale, safely and consistently, through all available border crossings and routes to reach the population of about 2 million people.

It said restrictions on the movement of humanitarian vehicles hinder the delivery of aid to people in desperate need.

The humanitarians said their commitment is to serve people wherever they are. All civilians must be protected, whether they choose to stay or move. Those who decide to move must have their essential needs met, and they must be able to voluntarily return.

"Unimpeded humanitarian access is needed across all of Gaza, including community-based distribution and supplies entering at scale through all possible crossings and land routes," OCHA added. ■