“It is important in these negotiations, which will have a real impact on millions of people, that we wait for the outcome. We are still very optimistic that all parties involved will find the political courage and political will to reach an agreement. The Secretary-General was briefed by the Prime Minister of Qatar, with whom he is in contact” said the press representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, in response to a question from the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency about the progress of negotiations aimed at a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday at 10.00 am (US time) the UN Security Council meets again on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, where Tom Venesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, will brief Council members via video call.

Concerns about mass evacuation orders

According to the UN, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to express concern over the mass evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army this month.

He says these orders are forcing the population to move to overcrowded and unsafe areas along the coast, making it even more difficult for humanitarian organizations to operate effectively.

Today’s evacuation orders for areas of Deir al-Bala and Khan Younis affect 115 locations, displacing over 150,000 people, including many children.

They also concern 80 temporary shelters, four centers of UNRWA and other organizations, as well as 29 informal shelters. The evacuation orders affected offices, warehouses and housing used by humanitarian organizations, as well as the families of their workers, forcing them to leave their homes once again.

The UN spokesman, citing OCHA data, said that since the beginning of August, Israeli forces have issued 11 evacuation orders, affecting about 250,000 people.

By early August, it was estimated that 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.1 million had already been displaced at least once since 7 October. The latest orders have also cut off parts of the Salah al-Din road, a key route for humanitarian transport, forcing humanitarian missions to use the coastal road, which is difficult to access due to the many makeshift camps and displaced people moving along of these roads.

Violence in the West Bank continues

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reiterates that “there is no safe place in Gaza».

He said more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October, mostly by the Israeli armed forces, while at least 11 have been killed by Jewish settlers. During the same period, 15 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

OCHA has recorded approximately 1,270 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the past 10 months, which have caused deaths, injuries and property damage.