WEST BANK (Dispatches) – The Zionist regime’s decision to accelerate a forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza over the summer has “exacerbated” the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave, according to a leaked U.S. cable circulating on social media.
The cable provides a blunt assessment of the occupying regime’s forced displacement orders, in one case noting that at least 1.7 million Palestinians were crowded into a “safe zone” whose size is equivalent to just 70 percent of the total area of Washington’s Dulles International Airport.
The cable was reported by online news site Klip News. It includes an assessment by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on the accelerated pace of the regime’s forced displacement orders between July 22 and August 25.
“Many people have been displaced multiple times, as the IDF (the regime’s military force) has issued evacuation orders under unsafe conditions in quick succession and with little warning before operations begin, heightening protection risks,” the USAID’s disaster assistance relief team said.
“In addition to displacing large swaths of the population, IDF evacuation orders and subsequent military operations further constricted humanitarian space in Gaza, compounding risks to humanitarian staff and curbing access to populations in need,” the U.S. officials warned.
The bulk of the USAID cable reiterates assessments made by the UN about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, but it does provide a warning.
“The continuation of this pace of evacuation orders could debilitate remaining humanitarian operations in the enclave and, as a result, continued assistance to the 2.1 million people in dire need,” USAID said.
USAID said that Israel has not revoked a single forced removal order since October 2023, compounding the shrinking space Palestinians can move in, with many fearing they could be forcibly displaced again.
The cable says the U.S. government has lobbied the Zionist regime on “several mitigating measures”, based on the assessment that the regime is “unlikely” to change its overall policy.
The UN on Monday warned that the regime’s order for a forced displacement of Palestinians from parts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza has severely impacted humanitarian work.
“[The] relocations took place at short notice and in dangerous conditions” the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, said. “[The relocation] effectively upends a whole lifesaving humanitarian hub that was set up in Deir al Balah following its evacuation from Rafah back in May.”