UN 'firmly against' any forced displacement in Gaza

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN said Wednesday it "firmly" opposes any forced displacement of Palestinians, following remarks by an Israeli official who proposed the relocation of the population of the Gaza Strip to a so-called "humanitarian city" on the ruins of Rafah.

"It's not the first time we’ve heard of such projects. We firmly stand against any forced displacement of people that would only increase risks to themselves," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he instructed the army to prepare a plan to relocate all Palestinians to what he called a “humanitarian city” on the ruins of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Katz said the population will be held in the new zone, and from there would be allowed to emigrate to other countries.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said attacks were reported on tents and residential buildings in Gaza City and Deir al-Balah, with scores of people killed, including medical staff and their families.

"Since October 2023, more than 1,500 medical staff have reportedly been killed. That’s what the local Ministry of Health is telling us," he added.

Warning that Gaza's health system is collapsing due to continued mass casualty incidents and severe shortages of fuel, medicine, blood and medical supplies, he said: "The lack of supplies is putting more pressure on hospitals already operating under severe strain and facing critical shortages of fuel medicine and medical supplies, as well as blood and blood products."

"Our partners on the ground have expressed concern over an increase in suspected cases of meningitis among children under 5," he added, noting cases of bloody diarrhea and acute jaundice.

With Israel's continued restriction on humanitarian access, Dujarric said: "Yesterday, out of 10 attempts to coordinate movements with the Israeli authorities, only three were fully facilitated for the collection of medical supplies and the removal of debris. Another three attempts were denied outright, including one to collect the supplies from Karem Shalom crossing."

"The remaining four had to be canceled by the organizers," he added.

Responding to a question on the UN stance toward the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), he said: "We are not anti-GHF, right? We are for humanitarian aid. We've said it over and over again."

Noting that any aid group operating in Gaza must adhere to internationally recognized humanitarian principles, Dujarric stressed that the UN "will not work with people who do not meet those standards right now."

Asked whether GHF can be considered a legitimate humanitarian organization under international norms, Dujarric said: "I'm not in the business of giving labels or certificates."

"They seem to be running a food distribution system, while some people are getting food, people are also getting killed trying to get that food. That's not a way we would run a humanitarian operation," he added.

"A food distribution system where people routinely, routinely get killed while trying to get the food is not humanitarian,” Dujarric said.