Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #31. Nov 6

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in northern Gaza reportedly intensified on 6 November. The Israeli military claimed it has fully encircled Gaza city and has been reportedly advancing into the city from the south. Intense bombardments from the air, sea and land continued across the Gaza Strip.  

On the 31st day of hostilities, the cumulative reported Palestinian fatality toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000, including 4,008 children and 2,550 women, according to the MoH in Gaza. About 2,260 others are reported missing in Gaza, including 1,270 children. Most are presumed to be trapped under rubble.

An additional telecommunication cut off was noticed across the Gaza Strip overnight (5 to 6 November), severely impeding the ability of ambulances and rescuers to reach those injured or trapped under collapsed buildings.  

On 4 and 5 November, seven water facilities across the Gaza Strip were directly hit and sustained major damage, including three sewage pipelines in Gaza city, two water reservoirs (in Rafah and Jabalia refugee camp) and two water wells in Rafah. The Gaza municipality warned about the imminent risk of sewage flooding. 

Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #31

Displaced children staying at the Khan Younis Training Centre, the most overcrowded UN shelter in Gaza. With less than two square metres per person, many of the 22,000 displaced people at this facility stay outdoors. Photo by UNRWA

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #30. Nov 5

As hostilities entered the thirtieth day, ongoing armed clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups were reported in northwest and south Gaza City. Intense bombardments took place across the Gaza Strip, including in Deir Al Balah and the southern areas.

On 5 November, the Israeli military called again on residents of Gaza city and the North Gaza governorate to move southwards between 10:00 and 14:00. However, UN monitoring suggests that less than 2,000 moved. This is attributed to the heavy damage sustained by the two main traffic arteries; fear of being hit and potentially killed, as has reportedly happened to people traveling southwards; and lack of information due to the limited connectivity to cellular networks and internet. The Israeli military claims that Hamas has been physically hindering people’s movement to the south. 

Several cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chicken pox have been reported among people taking refuge at UNRWA shelters. 

Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #30

Women and girls queueing for bread in the Gaza Strip, outside a damaged bakery. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. In southern Gaza, with no electricity or fuel, the only operative mill cannot grind wheat. Photo by UNRWA

Solidarity!

Two Million People March in Jakarta in Solidarity with Gaza

“This was the largest public gathering in Indonesia since the start of the Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7. According to the organizers, over two million people participated in the event.

The rally was organized by various pro-Palestine groups and saw the participation of several religious leaders and political figures, including the Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and the Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendi, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara.”

Please open link above to read more and watch the video!

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Jakarta in solidarity with Gaza. (Photo: video grab, Palestine Chronicle)

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #29. Nov 4, 2023

Between 3 November (noon) and 4 November (14:00), 231 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, bringing the reported fatality toll since the start of the hostilities to 9,488, including 3,900 children, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. About 2,000 others are reported missing in Gaza, including 1,250 children. Most are presumed to be trapped under the rubble. 

At least 70 Palestinians were killed and another 60 injured, according to the MoH, during two separate airstrikes in the past 24 hours, hitting two schools sheltering IDPs in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, north of Gaza city. Most of the fatalities are said to be women and children. Since the start of hostilities, 258 school buildings have sustained damage, representing more than 51 per cent of all schools in Gaza.

Gaza remains under a full electricity blackout since 11 October, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply, which triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant.  

Hundreds of thousands of residents in Gaza city and the northern areas face a severe water shortage, raising concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to consuming water from unsafe sources. However, a precise assessment is uncertain due to the hostilities and access restrictions. 

Over the past few days, most water facilities in the abovementioned areas, including some 60 municipal water wells, have shut down due to the lack of fuel and the inability of staff to reach them. This compounds the situation generated by the shutdown of the single seawater desalination plant in the north, and Israel’s halt in the water supply during the first week of hostilities. Consequently, nearly all water supplies through the network, as well as trucking activities, have reportedly ceased. Residents rely on the minimal volume from private wells and purification plants and consume unsafe water from agricultural wells.  

Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #29

A child carrying empty jerry cans on his way to refill them with drinking water. "I dream of becoming an astronaut," he says. Photo by © UNICEF/El Baba