Humanitarian NGOs extremely concerned after Israel orders Palestinian civilians to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip
NGOs based in France called on Friday for the protection of their teams and civilians in the Gaza Strip after the order – unrealistic, according to them – issued by Israel. The IDF has in fact ordered 1.1 million residents to leave the north of the Gaza Strip and go to the south of the enclave within twenty-four hours – although the Israeli army admitted Friday that the evacuation would take longer.
“The absolute priority is not even to talk about humanitarian needs which will be beyond measure, but it is the protection of civilians and humanitarian and health personnel”declared Jean-Raphaël Poitou, advocacy officer for the Middle East at Action Against Hunger (ACF), reached by telephone by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Our teams are among civilians. They are extremely worried” and had to be relocated to “very relative security”for his part told AFP Paul Duke, spokesperson for Première Urgence Internationale.
As for Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), the twenty members of international staff based in the north of Gaza traveled overnight to the south of the territory, its president Isabelle Defourny said by email. “On the other hand, it is currently difficult to verify the personal situation of all of our 300 Palestinian colleagues”she added, emphasizing that among them some “ are currently trying to leave for the South with their families” and others have “wished to stay, particularly medical personnel, to try to treat the sick and injured.”
Eleven employees of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and thirty students from schools managed by this agency have notably been killed in the Gaza Strip since Saturday, as well as five members of the International Federation of Societies network. the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
The evacuation order “represents a dangerous and irresponsible ultimatum”according to the president of MSF, and “packing such a large number of people into just a few square kilometers will only worsen the already ongoing humanitarian crisis,” she believes. Like other NGOs, MSF requests “expressly” the establishment of secure zones, in particular hospitals, “ for those people who will not be able to escape.”
In a press release, Médecins du Monde also calls for the revocation of this evacuation order “unreasonable, unrealistic and dangerous” due to bombings and destroyed roads, as well as the lifting of the siege “ so that drinking water, food and basic necessities (…) can be delivered.”
NGOs also recall the need to apply international humanitarian law, supposed to protect civilians during armed conflicts.