Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled northern Gaza on Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces said, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of “worrying trends” in the risk of disease in the territory after weeks of Israeli airstrikes.
The accelerating exodus came as Israeli forces closed in on the centre of Gaza City, launching intense bombardments, and claimed that Hamas had lost control of the north of the territory.
Those fleeing Israel’s expanding ground assault included children, older people and people with disabilities, and most walked with minimal belongings, the UN said. Many carried makeshift white flags amid fears they could be targeted. The Israeli military said 50,000 people had fled the north on Wednesday, up from 15,000 on Tuesday.
The Gaza Strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli air bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water and caused people to crowd in shelters, WHO warned.
“As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due to intensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, and sanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious diseases,” WHO said on Wednesday.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“Some worrying trends are already emerging.”
The WHO said the lack of fuel in the densely populated enclave had caused desalination plants to shut down, which increased the risk of bacterial infections like diarrhoea spreading.
While there have been extremely limited deliveries of food, water and medicine to Gaza, Israel has refused to let fuel in due to concerns about its possible diversion by Hamas despite calls from the UN and humanitarian aid groups.
Eighteen out of 35 hospitals in Gaza have closed, according to local health officials, putting remaining facilities under massive pressure. There are reports of operations including amputations carried out by torchlight, without anaesthetic and with vinegar used as a disinfectant.
The WHO said that more than 33,551 cases of diarrhoea had been reported since mid-October, the bulk of which were among children under five.
The lack of fuel has also disrupted the collection of solid waste, which WHO said created an “environment conducive to the rapid and widespread proliferation of insects, rodents that can carry and transit diseases.”
Palestinians living in the heart of Gaza’s largest city said they could see and hear Israeli ground forces closing in from multiple directions on Wednesday, accelerating the exodus of thousands of civilians as urban fighting between Israel and Hamas heated up.
The Israeli army has not given specifics on troop movements as it presses its ground assault, vowing to crush Hamas after its deadly 7 October assault inside Israel. But residents said Israeli forces had moved into inner neighbourhoods of Gaza City amid intense bombardment all around the surrounding north.
Clashes took place within a kilometre of the territory’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, which has become a focal point in the war. The Israeli military says Hamas’ main command centre is located in and under the hospital complex and that senior leaders of the group are hiding there, using the facility as a shield.
Hamas and hospital staff deny the claim and say the military is making a pretext to strike it.
Israel’s military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing on Wednesday that Hamas had lost control of the north of the territory.
“We saw 50,000 Gazans move from the northern Gaza Strip to the south [on Wednesday]. They are moving because they understand that Hamas has lost control in the north,” Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said. “Hamas has lost control and is continuing to lose control in the north.”
Hagari added that there would be no ceasefire but Israel has been allowing for humanitarian pauses at specific times to allow for residents to relocate south.
The army ordered civilians to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip ahead of the ground offensive. While about 70% of Gaza’s population is believed to have fled their homes, UN officials estimate that roughly 300,000 people have remained behind.
With Reuters and Associated Press