HAMILTON, Canada

The UN said Monday that 87.7% of the Gaza Strip is within Israeli militarized zones, under displacement orders or in areas where the two overlap.

Citing Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference that "87.7% of the Gaza is now under displacement orders or within displacement zones, squeezing about 2.1 million people into a fragmented area of the strip where hardly any services are available."

Emphasizing that more than 1.3 million people in Gaza are in need of shelter and household items, Dujarric said: "Harsh weather, humidity, overcrowding and frequent disassembly, a reassembly of tents and tarpaulins lead to shorter lifespan of shelter items."

He highlighted the "dire" situation in the enclave, where no shelter supplies have entered more than four months. "The fuel crisis continues."

"The limited quantity that have been allowed to enter Gaza in recent days are hardly sufficient," he said, adding that UN is prioritizing the use of available fuel for "most critical operations."

Dujarric also emphasized the "deeply concerning reports of severely malnourished people who are arriving in medical points and hospitals in extremely poor health" amid ongoing Israeli attacks.

"Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported that more than a dozen people, including children, have reportedly died from hunger in the last 24 hours," he said, describing the situation on the ground as " nearly impossible."

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 86 people—including 76 children—have died from hunger and dehydration since October 2023. Gaza’s government media office warned the enclave is "on the brink of mass death" after over 140 days of a near-total closure of all crossings.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza. The relentless bombing has destroyed the enclave, nearly collapsed its health system, and created famine-like conditions.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.