400,000 displaced in Gaza since collapse of ceasefire: UN agency

By Ikram Kouachi

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned Friday that nearly 400,000 people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since the collapse of the January ceasefire agreement.

In a statement on X, the agency said “it is estimated that nearly 400,000 people have been displaced in Gaza following the breakdown of the ceasefire,” noting that “they are now also enduring by far the longest blockage of aid and commercial supplies since the start of the war.”

UNRWA reiterated its urgent call for the resumption of the truce to prevent further suffering.

“We call for a renewal of the #CeasefireNow, a dignified release of all the hostages in Gaza, and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies,” UNRWA said.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, breaking the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

More than 50,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli onslaught since October 2023.