Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #28

Nearly 1.5 million people in Gaza are internally displaced (IDPs). Of them, some 690,000 are sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities, 122,000 in hospitals, churches, and public buildings, 99,000 in 82 non-UNRWA schools, and the remainder with host families.

Since the start of hostilities, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities have stopped functioning and 51 (71 per cent) of all primary care facilities across Gaza (72) have shut down due to damage or lack of fuel.

In the northern areas of the Gaza Strip, access to drinking water is uncertain. Water supply from Israel came to a halt on 8 October. Furthermore, following the intensification of Israeli ground operations, most water trucking operations and distribution of bottled water were suspended. Most municipal water wells have reportedly shut down after depleting their fuel reserves

Access to bread is increasingly challenging. The only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been struck and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP, and eight other bakeries in the southern and Middle areas have been intermittently providing bread to shelters, depending on the availability of flour and fuel. People wait long hours in bakeries' queues, where they are exposed to airstrikes.

Between 1 and 2 November, Israeli forces arrested at least 135 Palestinians, including two women, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, bringing the total number of those arrested since 7 October to at least 1,900, according to Palestinian sources. UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has received consistent and credible reports of widespread cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees. Two Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since 7 October.

For the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #28

Ghazal, 14, became homeless when her family home was destroyed in early October 2023. When she was just five, she lost her previous home in hostilities and remained displaced for two years. Photo by © UNICEF/El Baba, 2 November 2023

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #27. Nov 2

Israeli ground operations in northern Gaza and Gaza city, alongside intense bombardments, continued. Between 1 November (noon) and 2 November (14:00), 256 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, bringing the reported fatality toll since the start of the hostilities to 9,061, of whom about two-thirds are children and women, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. On 2 November, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 17. 

and:

On 2 November, four UNRWA shelters hosting nearly 20,000 IDPs (internally displaced people) were hit; as a result, at least 23 people were killed, and dozens were injured. Since the start of hostilities, nearly 50 UNRWA facilities have been damaged and 72 staff have been killed. 

The operation of water wells and desalination plants in the southern half of Gaza stopped almost completely on 2 November, after their fuel reserves had been exhausted. Only one of three water pipelines supplying water from Israel is active. There is not enough clarity on access of people to water in northern Gaza. 

The full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #27

Flames and smoke billow during Israeli strikes in Gaza, 19 October 2023. Photo by WHO

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #26. Nov 1

Displacement

The cumulative number of IDPs since the start of hostilities in Gaza is estimated at over 1.4 million. This figure includes nearly 690,400 people staying in 149 UNRWA facilities, 121,750 sheltering in hospitals, churches, and other public buildings, and about 96,400 in 76 non-UNRWA schools. The remaining 550,000-600,000 IDPs are residing with host families, with as many as 150,000 having relocated to shelters in the past few days, seeking food and basic services. 

The average number of IDPs per shelter in UNRWA facilities has reached almost four times their intended capacity. The Khan Younis Training Centre is currently the most crowded shelter, hosting 22,100 IDPs, more than ten times its capacity. 

Over 15 per cent of the IDPs are estimated to have disabilities, yet most shelters are not adequately equipped for their needs. Shelters lack the required medical mattresses and beds, causing ulcers for people unable to move and other medical issues that cannot be treated in unsterilized conditions. In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 2,600 persons with disabilities, injured persons, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits. 

In Israel, hundreds of thousands of people residing near the Gaza Strip, as well as along the border with Lebanon, have fled or been evacuated, with the Israeli authorities providing for the needs of these IDPs (this report focuses on the humanitarian situation in Gaza).

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Settler-related Violence

In the past 24 hours, in three incidents, Israeli settlers broke into At Taybe community near Tarqumia town (Hebron) and Khallet al Louza community and Al Khadr town (both in Bethlehem) and vandalized two residential and three agricultural-related structures. 

The already high level of Israeli settler violence recorded during the first nine months of 2023 has sharply increased since the escalation of hostilities. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 186 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (26 incidents), damage to Palestinian property (128 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (32 incidents). This reflects a daily average of seven incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year.  

Out of the 186 settler attacks, more than one-third involved threats with firearms, including shooting. Almost half of all incidents involved Israeli forces accompanying or actively supporting the attackers. Many of the latter incidents were followed by confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians, where three Palestinians were killed, and dozens injured. Affected properties included 25 residential structures, 42 agricultural/animal-related structures, 74 vehicles and more than 670 trees and saplings. 

Read the full reportL Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #26


Packaging food parcels in a United Nations facility. Photo by UNRWA/Hussein Owda