UNHCR reports Israeli war displaced nearly 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza

UNHCR spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said during a press conference at the United Nations office in Geneva on Tuesday that “resolving the catastrophic situation experienced by civilians in Gaza must remain a priority.”

“UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urges all states with influence to do everything in their power to halt the increasingly horrific human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, rising violence and targeted attacks in the West Bank, and the heightened risk of a wider escalation of conflict in the Middle East,” Shamdasani said.

She said that “Israel continues to impose unlawful restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, and to carry out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.”

Shamdasani added, "There are about 1.7 million forcibly displaced people in Gaza. These people live in terrifying conditions and under constant threat."

“In the past week alone, fighting has intensified in Middle Gaza leading to the displacement of some 10,000 people from in and around a Nuseirat camp and near Wadi Gaza,” she said.

Israel denies hindering humanitarian relief to Gaza. The regime has faced increased international pressure to let more supplies into the Gaza Strip since it attacked an aid convoy on April 1, killing international relief workers.

"Those delivering or trying to access humanitarian assistance must never be attacked," added Shamdasani.

Shamdasani said that UNHCR also received reports that during Eid al-Fitr last week, the Israel forces attacked at least eight mosques in a Nuseirat and Gaza City, and struck a further three on 14 April.

Since October 2023, 534 mosques have been destroyed or damaged according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Places of worship are protected under the laws of war, she noted.