A senior UN official announced that the United Nations was forced to suspend its humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, following new evacuation orders targeting Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
The official, who requested anonymity, stated, “This morning I spoke with my security advisor on the ground and asked if operations were possible today. He said no, it’s impossible.”
The suspension was linked to evacuation orders issued on Sunday, which affected the area of Deir al-Balah where the UN had relocated most of its staff and operations following previous evacuation orders from Rafah months earlier.
“This has led us to a stage where operationally, we can no longer function. This is not a decision to stop operations, but practically, we can no longer operate,” the official explained.
Since the onset of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October, the UN has occasionally had to “delay or suspend” its operations.
However, the official emphasized that this is the first time they have reached a point where they can’t do anything, but he affirmed their intent to resume operations as soon as possible.
“We will find solutions. If it means pausing for 24 or 48 hours and starting from scratch, we must do it, but we will not leave.
We must be there to provide as much assistance as possible,” the official stated, highlighting the current challenge of finding a new location to effectively restart and continue their work.
