UN aid coordinator’s ‘deep concern’ over new Gaza evacuation order; 1.9m people already displaced

The UN has estimated that up to 250,000 people are impacted by the Israeli military order for civilians to leave Al-Qarara, Bani Suhaila and other localities near Khan Yunis. (AFP/File)

UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, briefs the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN Headquarters in New York, on Jul. 2, 2024. (AFP)

• Sigrid Kaag tells Arab News a ceasefire deal and release of all hostages would be a ‘game changer’ for efforts to address dire humanitarian situation in the territory
• After addressing meeting of the Security Council, she says political intent and commitments are important but ultimately ‘change on the ground (is all) that matters’

NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, told Arab News on Tuesday that a ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages would be a “significant game changer” for efforts to address the dire humanitarian situation in the war-torn enclave.
Although political intentions and commitments are important, she added, “the shift and change on the ground (is) the only metric, at the end of the day, that matters.”
Kaag was speaking in New York following a meeting of the Security Council convened by Russia, which holds the presidency of the council this month, to discuss the ongoing, catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
She told council members that 1.9 million people are now displaced within the territory, and expressed “deep concern” about a new evacuation order issued yesterday for Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Yunis. The UN estimates up to 250,000 Palestinians will be affected by this latest directive.
“Palestinian civilians in Gaza have been plunged into an abyss of suffering, their home life shattered, their lives upended,” Kaag said.
“The war has not merely created the most profound of humanitarian crises, it has unleashed a maelstrom of human misery.”
It is still the case that not enough aid is reaching the people of Gaza, she added as she underscored the necessity of opening new border crossings, particularly in southern Gaza, to help avert a humanitarian disaster.
Kaag in particular called for the reopening of the Rafah crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt, and urged the international community to do more to fund relief efforts. “Political will” is paramount if humanitarian mechanisms are to work properly, she said.
Asked by Arab News whether during her meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu she sensed political will on his part to address the humanitarian plight of Gazans, Kaag said that while she is not in the habit of “giving personal comments on attitudes or of others, I care about the correct and constructive meeting that I have in a professional engagement.
“And ultimately — which I’ve said to the council — commitments and intentions are good (but) what matters is the shift and the change on the ground, what we can see and what we can measure; that’s the only metric, at the end of the day, that matters.”
Slovenia’s representative to the Security Council, Samuel Zbogar, told members: “The main goal of accelerating the safe delivery of aid to every corner of Gaza is not in sight. We are missing the main ingredient for the mechanism’s success, which is a ceasefire.”
Kaag told Arab News that “the international community, the (UN) secretary-general, the (Security) Council have been asking earlier for a ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and that of course would be a significant game changer when we talk about conditions on the ground (and) the ability of the United Nations and all the other international NGOs (nongovermental organizations) and local NGOs to reach people and to actually do their work.”