UN agencies have warned that the collapse of water and sanitation services could even spark bouts of cholera if urgent humanitarian aid is not delivered. If nothing changes, “there will be more and more people falling sick and the risk of major outbreaks will increase dramatically,” Brennan said.
Israel and Hamas reach tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause conflict, free dozens of hostages
The Washington Post
November 18, 2023 by. Karen DeYoung
A five-day pause in fighting, monitored by aerial surveillance, could see dozens of women and children freed from captivity in Gaza, according to people familiar with the terms of the agreement.
Israel, the United States and Hamas have agreed to a tentative deal that would free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza, in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting.
The release, which could begin within the next several days — barring last-minute hitches — could lead to the first sustained pause in conflict in Gaza, according to people familiar with its provisions.
Under the terms of a detailed, six-page agreement, all parties to the conflict would freeze combat operations for at least five days while an initial 50 or more hostages are released in smaller batches every 24 hours. It was not immediately clear how many of the 239 people believed to be in captivity in Gaza would be released under the deal. Overhead surveillance would monitor movement on the ground to police the pause.
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Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #43. Nov 18
In the past 24 hours, three schools serving as IDP shelters to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) have been reportedly hit, resulting in many fatalities. In the Tal Az Za’atar school, in Beit Lahia, more than 50 people were killed on 18 November, according to media reports. The same day, scores, including children, were killed in UNRWA’s Al Fakhouri school in Jabalia, which shelters over 4,000 IDPs. On 17 November, another UNRWA school in Az Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza city was also hit. Between 7 October and 16 November, at least 71 IDPs were killed and 573 injured, while sheltering in UNRWA facilities across the Gaza Strip.
On 18 November, Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, deplored the news on children, women and men killed while sheltering at Al Fakhouri school, reminding that, “Shelters are a place of safety. Schools are a place for learning,” and adding that “Civilians cannot and should not have to bear this any longer.”
According to the Palestine Journalists Syndicate in Gaza, 45 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 7 October. According to MoH, more than 198 Palestinian medical staff have been killed. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, at least 12 of its members have been killed. And according to UNRWA, 103 of their staff have been killed since 7 October.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported an increase in cases of dehydration and malnutrition and warned about the threat of starvation due to the collapsed food supply chain and insufficient aid delivery. Only 10 per cent of necessary food supplies have entered Gaza since the beginning of the hostilities.
Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #43
A joint UN humanitarian assessment team visits Shifa Hospital in Gaza city on 18 November 2023. The team comprised public health experts, logistics officers, and security staff from OCHA, UNDSS, UNMAS/UNOPS, UNRWA and the World Health Organization, which led the team. Photo by WHO
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