Gaza (Al-Ittihad, agencies)
Yesterday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that the Israeli army ordered the displaced people in a UN shelter that was subjected to artillery shelling to leave, while US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken renewed his calls for Israel to protect civilians, after the bombing that targeted the shelter and was condemned by Washington.
An UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed the testimonies of displaced people in the center, who said that the Israeli army gave them until five in the afternoon on Friday to leave.
The displaced woman, Amal Labad, said: “They told us that we had to evacuate the headquarters before Friday evening.”
She added: “The army called the UNRWA official through loudspeakers. She went to them next to the tank and they told her to inform us to evacuate the place before five o’clock on Friday.”
She added: “We do not know where we will go, or what things we will carry with us.”
The Israeli army did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Yesterday, a senior United Nations official announced that the death toll as a result of the artillery shelling on the shelter center located in Khan Yunis had risen to 12 people.
Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, Thomas White, said in a statement: “Twelve people have been confirmed dead, and more than 75 others have been injured, 15 of whom are in critical condition.”
According to White, two tank shells fell the day before yesterday on a United Nations shelter in Khan Yunis, where thousands of displaced Palestinians took refuge.
For its part, the Israeli army said that it was conducting a “comprehensive review of force operations in the region.”
The United States expressed its regret, saying: “Civilians must be protected and the protective nature of United Nations facilities must be respected.”
Blinken told reporters, during his visit to Angola, that the UN shelter is “essential and must be protected.” He added: “We reconfirmed this to the government of Israel, and I understand that they are investigating this incident as necessary and appropriate,” without indicating the level of talks that took place with the Israeli side in this regard.
Blinken praised UNRWA’s efforts “to help people who need it most.” He said, “The work that the United Nations is performing in Gaza saves lives in every sense of the word, and no other party can do it, and no one is doing it.”
The Israeli army announced that it had “besieged” Khan Yunis, and called on residents to go south to Rafah on the border with Egypt, but the battles make it dangerous to move to this area, where the bulk of the 1.7 million Palestinians displaced by the war are gathered.
In Europe, Rome announced that 100 Palestinian children injured in Gaza would be treated in Italian hospitals, while Paris reported that seven injured children had arrived in France for treatment. The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Strip continues to deteriorate, while discussions are taking place in Cairo about a possible new truce.
Mediation efforts are currently underway to reach a new truce in Gaza, which will be longer than the previous one and allow for the release of Palestinian hostages and prisoners, and the entry of more humanitarian aid to civilians.
Due to the impact of the war in Gaza, the risks of the conflict expanding are increasing, especially on the Lebanese border, which witnesses daily exchanges of fire.
The National News Agency in Lebanon reported that the outskirts of a number of border villages and towns were subjected to artillery shelling and Israeli strikes.
On the other hand, the Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had launched operations in several cities and villages in the occupied West Bank, where a Palestinian was killed and 16 people were arrested.
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