Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: Emergency - Life Support for Civilian War Victims Following the massive evacuation order issued by Israeli forces yesterday, Sunday 20 July, in the south-western area of Deir al-Balah, EMERGENCY’s healthcare clinics in al-Mawasi and al-Qarara (Khan Younis) are now forced to operate at reduced capacity despite the serious needs, because EMERGENCY’s international team members remain stuck in their accommodation while some of our Gazan team members have had to flee with their families.“We spent a sleepless night due to the bombing that began yesterday at 9pm. Throughout the night, there were a series of bombings, explosions, sounds of approaching helicopters, bursts of fire from automatic weapons, and drones. This latest evacuation has compromised the only road that was still partially passable in that area, and now prevents us from reaching our medical facilities,” says Alessandro Migliorati, EMERGENCY’s Project Coordinator in Gaza.“Some of our colleagues in Gaza have had to flee with their families because their tents were in the area affected by the evacuation order. Our medical activities have not been suspended, thanks to colleagues who live in unaffected areas, but we need all available staff to be able to assist the population. We see at least 250 patients every day, which is unsustainable with reduced staff.”Yesterday’s evacuation order affected an area that, before the temporary ceasefire, was considered a ‘humanitarian zone’, where 70,000 displaced people and humanitarian workers live.“In addition to approximately 40,000 Gazan civilians, this evacuation order has directly or indirectly affected a huge number of NGOs and is another blow to humanitarian aid,” Migliorati continues. “Some of our Gazan staff also live in the affected areas. Some of them are being forced to move to tents for the third or fourth time. The few areas that remain available for newly displaced people are in even worse conditions than the others, especially considering that to reach them, one must cross a road that is also subject to an evacuation order.”EMERGENCY once again strongly calls for international pressure on the Israeli government to implement an immediate ceasefire and to guarantee humanitarian assistance to the Gazan population.EMERGENCY’s ORA! Campaign, with more than a quarter of a million signatures, leads calls in Italy for the government not to renew its military cooperation agreement with Israel; to halt the sale of arms and weapons systems to Israel; and to suspend the Association Agreement between the EU and Israel, alongside 17 other countries, due to ongoing human rights violations.–EMERGENCY has been present in Gaza since August 2024, and in January 2025 opened its primary healthcare clinic in al-Qarara, Khan Younis, where it provides first aid, basic medical and surgical care for adults and children, outpatient reproductive health activities and post-operative nursing follow-up care, stabilisation of medical and surgical emergencies, and transfer to hospital facilities. EMERGENCY is also continuing its work to provide primary healthcare to in the clinic set up by the local organisation CFTA (Culture & Free Thought Association) in al-Mawasi, which it has been supporting since November 2024.