Sigrid Kaag

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Gaza said Tuesday that 1.9 million people — 80 percent of the territory's population — were now displaced, adding she was "deeply concerned" by reports of new evacuation orders for Khan Yunis.

Officials from 36 countries and UN agencies gathered in Cyprus on Thursday to discuss how to expedite aid to besieged Palestinians in Gaza via a sea route launched last week.

Thursday's gathering is being attended by Sigrid Kaag, the UN's senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, as well as Curtis Ried, chief of staff of the US National Security Council.

A Spanish charity boat taking food to Gaza left Cyprus on Tuesday in hopes of opening a maritime corridor to carry sorely needed aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The United States plans gathered pace on Friday to get aid by sea into Gaza, where the U.N. has repeatedly warned of famine and Israel has been accused of limiting aid as it battles Hamas militants.

Israel on Tuesday kept up its strikes against Gaza targets despite grave concern expressed by the United Nations, which named a coordinator for desperately needed humanitarian aid.

The Israeli army said it struck military sites and tunnel shafts in Jabalia, northern Gaza, and Khan Yunis in the south, as heavy ground combat continued.

The United Nations named an outgoing Dutch minister its humanitarian coordinator for Gaza on Tuesday following last week's watered-down Security Council resolution which called for aid to be delivered to the strip "at scale."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed an "overwhelming" victory in elections on Wednesday, vowing to use his fourth term in office to rebuild the country after the coronavirus pandemic.

Work on destroying Syria's last remaining chemical weapons production facilities will begin this month and should be completed next year, the UN Security Council heard Wednesday.
      
Dutch diplomat Sigrid Kaag, who leads a UN mission to rid Syria of chemical weapons, told the council that 13 production facilities will be dismantled, Australian Ambassador Gary Quinlan said.