US special envoy David Satterfield told reporters in the Jordanian capital that between 800,000 to a million people have moved to the south of the Gaza Strip while around 350,000 to 400,000 remain in the north of the enclave.
Israel had called on people in Gaza to move to the south of the strip ahead of military ground operations in the north. Airstrikes on the entire Gaza Strip, however, have not ceased.
People in Gaza have also been cut off from supplies of food, water and fuel. Israel has accused Hamas of stockpiling such supplies, a charge Satterfield rejected, saying there were no recorded instances of Hamas blocking or seizing aid.
“Fuel in depots in Gaza has been accessed by UNRWA for aid trucks, desalination and hospitals in the south of Gaza,” he noted.
UNRWA is the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that has been working in the region for decades.
About 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70% of the population, have fled their homes, the United Nations said Friday.
More than 9,200 people have died in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip. Israel declared war on Hamas after the Islamist militants’ terror attacks killed 1,400 people.
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the EU, US, Israel, and Germany, among other nations.
Read More: UN chief ‘horrified’ by Israeli strike – DW – 11/04/2023