NEW YORK: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed last night that "issuing mass evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip without ensuring safe places for the displaced exacerbates the already dire humanitarian situation of hundreds of thousands of people." According to the official website of the OCHA office, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated in a press conference that he found more than 55 valid evacuation orders covering more than 85% of the population of the Gaza Strip to date. Dujarric pointed out that the repeated displacements lead to the separation of families from each other, and the erosion of social protection systems, especially for women and children. Regarding the arrival of humanitarian missions to northern Gaza, the UN spokesman stated that only 37 humanitarian missions arrived during the first two weeks of this month out of 94 planned, and in southern Gaza only 50% of 243 coordinated humanitarian missions were facilitated. Dujarric warned that the OCHA office had been unable to reach northern Gaza for 28 days, and that aid convoys were being shot at, subjected to life-threatening conditions, and stopped or delayed for hours. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA