Aid group says nearly 180,000 Gazans displaced in last 10 days

A renewed Israeli military offensive has forcibly displaced almost 180,000 people in the 10 days before May 25, the International Organization for Migration says, as Israel pursues a renewed offensive aimed at taking control of most of the territory.

In a statement on behalf of the UN-backed Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, the group expresses deep alarm and denounces direct attacks on shelters, which it says have become “common.”

Nearly 616,000 people have been displaced since the end of a ceasefire on March 18, the statement says. During the ceasefire, around half a million Palestinians were able to return home, but “that fragile progress has now been reversed,” it says.

“With the ongoing aid blockade, there has been no guarantee of shelter, assistance, or protection for civilians. Constant movement restrictions and indiscriminate strikes on civilian infrastructure, including shelters, schools, hospitals, and tents, over the last 19 months have continuously exposed civilians to immense danger and raise grave concern,” the IOM states.