UN humanitarians warn mass deprivation being normalised in Gaza

United Nations, July 19 (IANS) The daily onslaught of hostilities, preventable deaths, a worsening fuel shortage, displacement and desperation are normalising mass deprivation for Gazans, UN humanitarians said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Israeli authorities issued yet another displacement order, this time for parts of northern Gaza. There are also deeply troubling reports of malnourished children and adults in hospitals with few resources to treat them, Xinhua news agency reported.

OCHA said that the energy crisis continues to deepen despite the resumption of limited fuel imports, and its depletion has forced a pause in solid waste collection over the past couple of days, and more water wells have been shut down, mainly in Deir al-Balah.

Specific health services like dialysis have been reduced or shut down, and others will have to end too, due to fuel shortages, while the limited fuel available is being allocated primarily to health, water and telecommunications services, as well as to powering vehicles, it said.

Humanitarian movements inside Gaza continue to be restricted, since only seven out of 13 attempts to coordinate aid workers and supplies movement with the Israeli authorities were facilitated, allowing humanitarian teams to retrieve fuel, collect water, relocate generators, provide supplies related to hygiene and sanitation, and transfer much-needed medical supplies, OCHA said.

--IANS

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