The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Friday that nearly 500,000 Palestinians have been newly displaced in the Gaza Strip over the past month, driven from their homes by repeated evacuation orders issued by Israeli forces.

In a statement posted on X, the agency reported that the latest wave of forced displacement has confined Palestinians to less than one-third of Gaza’s original territory. UNRWA described the remaining areas as “fragmented, unsafe, and barely livable.”

The humanitarian situation, already dire, has sharply worsened. UNRWA warned of “catastrophic” conditions inside severely overcrowded shelters, where families endure extreme hardships and service providers are struggling to operate amid the near-complete depletion of basic resources.

“The ongoing Israeli aggression continues to deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the agency said. Displaced families face extreme shortages in essential services, including food, clean water, medical care, and sanitation.

UNRWA, which has long provided critical support to Palestinian refugees, underscored the urgency of international intervention to prevent further suffering and to uphold basic humanitarian principles in the face of ongoing hostilities.

The displacement crisis marks yet another escalation in the already devastating Israeli campaign in Gaza, which has drawn international criticism and sparked repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid. (ILKHA)