The United Nations was forced to stop its humanitarian operations in Gaza after Israel issued another evacuation order for the Deir al-Balah region, amid ongoing violence in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
"We are not operating today. As of this morning, we're not operating in Gaza," the official said, adding that since the start of the war, the U.N. has sometimes had to "delay or take a pause."
"This is not a decision that we're saying we're stopping to operate, but practically we cannot operate," the official said.
According to the official, the U.N. "had relocated most of our personnel in our operations" to Deir al-Balah following a Rafah evacuation order several months ago.
The Israeli military claimed it was targeting "terror operatives" in Deir al-Balah and working to dismantle the "remaining terrorist infrastructure" of Hamas. The military has been widely criticized for targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, refugee camps, bakeries and refugee camps.
"We need to find solutions," the U.N. official said. "And if it means that we need to anchor down for 24-48 hours and reset, we do that. But we're not leaving.
"Right now the challenge is to find a place where we can reset and effectively operate."
"We're not leaving (Gaza) because the people need us there," the official said. "We're trying to balance the need of the population with the need for safety and security of the U.N. personnel."
The official said the United Nations had relocated its main command operations for the Gaza Strip and most U.N. personnel to Deir Al-Balah after Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah in the south of Gaza.
"Where do we move now?" said the official, adding that U.N. staff had to be moved so quickly that equipment was left behind.
"The challenge is to find a place where we can reset and effectively operate," the official said. "The space to operate is being restricted more and more than ever."
Hamas's Oct. 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's attacks on Palestinians have killed at least 40,435 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
