New Evacuation Orders in Northern Gaza Deepens Misery

A Report from Anera’s Team in Gaza

Our Gaza staff are reporting the alarming news of new and unexpected evacuation orders, issued by the Israeli military, for all of the North Gaza Governorate. Our team lead in Gaza tells us:

“Today marked another devastating day here. The people of Gaza are in a fight for survival. We were in the north preparing for aid distributions early this morning when leaflets fell from the sky calling for an immediate evacuation (we had a 15-minute warning) of 200,000 people. Shortly after, a huge explosion rocked the area. I felt the heat and impact.

“People are scared – we are scared. But we must help them. So many people were begging us not to leave because they need our help. We were forced to leave for our safety. We secured our distribution center, leaving the aid behind, and left for Gaza City with our families.

“Everyone is now heading to Gaza City, although most of the city is in ruins. There are already 200,000 people there, and 200,000 expected to flee from the north. However, in its current state Gaza City can only support maybe 100,000 people, making it impossible to accommodate the anticipated influx of 400,000 individuals.

“These displaced people will be left to sleep on the streets, on rubble, and in shells of buildings. We are currently working on relocating our community kitchen in the north and figuring out how we can get the aid here to support the displaced people in Gaza City.

“Adding to this nightmare, all crossings have been closed since May 6 with no commercial goods or aid coming in. The local market has been depleted of supplies, leaving remaining goods exorbitantly priced. The supplies we have left to distribute probably won’t last the week. We need the borders open to bring aid in or more people will starve. It is so hot here and there is no water. People are thirsty.

“The situation is the same in all other governorates in Gaza. Yesterday, an additional 152,000 displaced individuals fled Rafah, seeking refuge in areas like Khan Younis and Deir Al Balah. Today, even more people are migrating to Khan Younis and Deir Al Balah, with projections indicating that over 250,000 seeking refuge in east Rafah will have relocated by day’s end with no place to stay.

“There is no space, there is chaos, there is fear, and there is the fight for survival. These people have been displaced multiple times.

“Today our distribution centers in Deir Al Balah and Mawasi, Khan Younis were flooded with thousands of people seeking aid. Anera staff are inundated with calls for assistance, particularly for tents, water and food. People are starving, homeless and lacking the most basic shelter and sustenance.

“This crisis worsens by the minute, and we are urging everyone to advocate for Gaza. Every corner of Gaza is in desperate need, and the situation worsens by the minute. We are working on relocating our community kitchens and services to help our people throughout Gaza.

“Please, we ask you to do your part and advocate for us and for the safe delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid into Gaza, along with ensuring the safety of aid workers and civilians in need. We must all continue to stress the need for an immediate and enduring ceasefire.”

The people of Gaza need our support RIGHT NOW. The international community – nations, institutions, civic organizations and citizens – must press urgently and forcefully for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the opening of all the aid routes with unfettered ability to import life-saving relief supplies at a scale adequate to the magnitude of the suffering, and commitments to allow aid operations to deliver vital assistance across Gaza. People in Gaza are enduring intolerable conditions and far too many civilians have died already. The world must speak up.