The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, expressed on Tuesday her deep concern about the new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, warning of their effects on the civilian population.

During a speech before the Security Council, Kaag called on member states to continue providing supplies and allocating funding to humanitarian agencies and to work to urgently reopen the Rafah crossing and facilitate the safe delivery of aid inside Gaza.

Kaag said, "We will not stop repeating over and over again that we need a complete and immediate ceasefire in Gaza. We also call for the unconditional release of the hostages and demand continuous and unhindered access to humanitarian aid in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2735."

She stressed that there is an urgent need for additional contributions worth $2.5 billion, and to establish an effective and reliable system for conflict prevention and coordination in Gaza.

She pointed out that military activity and the lack of safe roads affect humanitarian operations, and that there is a need to store and transport the required daily amount of fuel in advance.

Legitimate goal

For his part, Chinese delegate Zhang Jun said that humanitarian relief agencies have become a legitimate target in Gaza, and that hundreds of humanitarian workers have been killed, and this is an unprecedented situation in history.

He added that some countries' investment in a floating dock was another miserable failure, and that the humanitarian disaster in Gaza was man-made.

Today, the Israeli army intensified its bombing of Khan Yunis in preparation for a new military operation it threatened to launch on this city, while media reports spoke of a “difficult event” to which an Israeli force was exposed in the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, the occupation army warned several areas east of Khan Yunis to evacuate immediately, claiming that they were dangerous combat zones, threatening in a recorded call received to residents of the eastern regions to “act with extreme force and immediately in the area.”