(Bloomberg) -- The United Nations has stopped humanitarian operations in Gaza after an Israeli evacuation order, according to a senior UN official, the most serious obstacle to aid deliveries amid a deepening crisis that’s seen the area’s first case of polio in 25 years.
Work was halted after Israeli officials issued evacuation orders Sunday night for Deir al-Balah, the region in central Gaza where the organization coordinates most of its operations, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the matter.
Though the UN hasn’t given official orders to stop, in practice it’s unable to conduct any aid deliveries, the person said, adding the world body is in touch with Israeli officials about resuming operations as soon as possible. The UN’s main unit in Gaza, UNWRA, is still providing services at its facilities.
The official said that while the UN has been forced to delay or pause deliveries for a few hours in the past, this marks the first time operations have fully come to a stop.
The interruption risks delaying a UN-led vaccination campaign scheduled to begin later this week. The UN intends to distribute some 1.2 million doses of the polio vaccine in Gaza as part of an effort to vaccinate over 640,000 Palestinian children.
Humanitarian groups have been working to start inoculations after traces of a polio virus variant were found in local water sources last month. A 10-month old baby was diagnosed with the paralyzing disease last week in Gaza, which the World Health Organization said has been polio-free for at least 25 years.
The Gaza war broke out Oct. 7 after an attack on Israel by Hamas that saw 1,200 people killed and almost 250 taken hostage. The death toll in Gaza from Israel’s subsequent offensive has passed 40,000, according to the health ministry run by Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
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