United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, expressed the international organization’s concern over statements by Israeli officials regarding the deportation of Palestinians to other countries under the name of “voluntary immigration,” stressing that the United Nations rejects any attempt aimed at changing the demographic composition in the Gaza Strip.
In a speech during a session of the UN Security Council on Friday evening at the request of Algeria regarding the situation of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, Griffiths stressed that the forced and mass deportation of Palestinians would be a clear violation of international law.
Griffiths saw that it had become almost impossible to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding, “In this case, moving the conflict south will force people to go to neighboring countries, and some countries have announced that they can host (those leaving Gaza), and they must be able to to return in accordance with international law.”
For her part, Ilse Brands-Keres, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Human Rights, stated that the mass forced displacement began on October 12, after the Israeli occupation army issued an order to evacuate the northern part of Gaza.
She pointed out that 90% of society in Gaza faces severe food insecurity, pointing out that it prevents starvation of civil society as a method of war.
The UN official also stressed the need not to prevent the return of Palestinians who were forcibly expelled from Gaza, noting that a strong guarantee must be provided to enable these people to return to their homes.
Tragic situation
Regarding the situation in Gaza, Griffiths pointed out that the events witnessed by Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories during the past 100 days did not take civilians into account, stressing that the situation in Gaza is tragic.
The UN official pointed out that the shelter centers were overflowing and water and food were about to run out, noting that 134 facilities belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had been bombed. Where 148 UN employees were killed.
Griffiths stated that humanitarian relief facilities were targeted despite informing the Israeli army, which led to exposing humanitarian aid workers to grave danger.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, stressing that the air strikes were concentrated in places where civilians were asked to go as a safe haven, stressing that with the continuation of military operations there is no safe place for civilians in Gaza.
The UN staff who were able to go to northern Gaza were quoted as saying that what they saw was indescribably horrific. Where bodies are lying on the roads, and people are suffering from hunger.
Since the seventh of last October, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of Friday, left 23,708 martyrs and 60,050 injured, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.