The United Nations has reported that nearly 9 out of every 10 people in Gaza have been displaced at least once since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Andrea De Dominicis, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, revealed that approximately 1.9 million people are believed to have been displaced in Gaza.
Speaking from Jerusalem to reporters in New York and Geneva, he said, “We estimate that 9 out of every 10 people in Gaza have been internally displaced at least once, if not up to 10 times unfortunately, since last October.”
He further explained this increase, stating, “Previously, we estimated around 1.7 million, but since reaching that number we’ve had the Rafah operation and additional displacement there,” adding, “We’ve also seen operations in the north which led to people moving.”
He pointed out that such military operations have repeatedly forced people to readjust their lives.
De Dominicis stated, “Behind these numbers are individuals with fears and complaints. Perhaps they had dreams and hopes, which unfortunately seem to be diminishing day by day,” clarifying, “People who have been displaced in the past 9 months have been like pawns in a board game.”
He noted that Israeli military operations have divided Gaza into two parts, with OCHA estimating that between 300,000 to 350,000 people live in the northern besieged area and cannot travel south.
He added that since the beginning of the conflict, around 110,000 people managed to leave Gaza for Egypt before the closure of the Rafah crossing in early May, with some remaining in Egypt and others moving to other countries.
