Renewed Israeli Attacks in Gaza Displace Over 140,000, UN Says

For the ninth consecutive day, renewed Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians and the displacement of over 140,000 people since last week, according to the United Nations, as per Al Jazeera.

The UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, reported that 142,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18. The agency attributes the displacement primarily to Israeli evacuation orders and the destruction of homes and public infrastructure.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 39 Palestinians, including children, were killed and 124 wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza within a 24-hour period ending Wednesday. Attacks were reported in various locations, including Jabalia in northern Gaza, as well as Khan Younis and Rafah in the south.

In Jabalia, an Israeli military strike reportedly hit a house packed with civilians, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people, including a six-month-old baby. At the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, a residential flat was targeted, killing one child.

According to OCHA, an estimated 250,000 Palestinians reside in areas slated for evacuation in Rafah, Khan Younis, and northern Gaza, with over 50,000 of them currently residing in 240 sites for internally displaced persons.

Since Israel resumed the war, the military has issued six evacuation notices affecting approximately 15 percent of Gaza, OCHA said.

Adding to the dire situation, Gaza’s already fragile water system is on the brink of collapse due to dwindling fuel supplies, threatening to cut off access to clean water for the population, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The medical NGO’s statement comes as Israel’s blockade enters its 25th day. MSF warns that the lack of safe water is already having severe consequences for public health.

The renewed conflict began on March 2 after Israel reneged on the ceasefire agreement and sought to extend the initial phase of the three-stage agreement, which expired without a commitment to ending the war.

In addition to the mounting civilian casualties, OCHA reports that at least eight aid workers have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed its military operations last week, bringing the total number of aid workers killed since the breach of the ceasefire to 399.