HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Wednesday said women in the Gaza Strip are being forced to give birth on the streets as thousands are displaced amid Israeli military operations that have continued since October 2023.

"Israel's offensive in Gaza is forcing women to give birth in the streets, without hospitals, doctors or clean water," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference, citing the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The "UNFPA says that 23,000 women are going without care, and about 15 babies are being born each week with no medical help," he added.

Dujarric urged the immediate protection of civilians, saying the situation on the ground "is worsening by the hour." He stressed that "issuing displacement orders does not absolve parties to a conflict from their responsibilities to protect civilians in the conduct of their hostilities."

He said Israel "once again ordered" people in Gaza City to leave within the next 48 hours and "move south along a temporary passageway on the Salah ad Din road, which is the one that runs through the center of the Gaza Strip."

"Thousands of people continue to flee, amid active hostilities. Roads, as you can well imagine, are congested. People are hungry, and children are traumatized," he said.

Dujarric reported that nearly 40,000 people were displaced to the south between Monday and Tuesday, with about 200,000 movements recorded since mid-August.

"Partners have set up three support points in areas receiving displaced people in southern Gaza to assist separated, orphaned and injured children," he added.

Highlighting the collapse of health care services, the UN official said that "since the collapse of the ceasefire in March, 80 medical points and primary health care centers providing sexual and reproductive health outpatient services have been affected, with 65 out of service."

Emphasizing that Israel continues to obstruct aid operations in the enclave, Dujarric said that "yesterday, two humanitarian movements to collect food cargo from the crossings into Gaza were either cancelled or denied."

"Other missions were facilitated but faced impediments on the ground. The Zikim crossing remains closed for a fifth consecutive day," he said.