Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #50

  • The humanitarian pause agreed by Israel and Hamas, which entered into force on 24 November, has largely held for the second day in a row. The pause has allowed the UN to scale up the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza.

  • On 25 November, 200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana and, of them, 187 entered Gaza by 19:00 local time. Additionally, 129,000 litres of fuel crossed into Gaza, as well as four cooking gas tanks. As of yet, the Israeli authorities have not allowed fuel to reach the areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north).

  • The bulk of the aid that entered has been distributed in areas south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south). It has included 500 metric tonnes of wheat flour and 155,000 cans of ready-to-eat food provided to shelters hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as fuel distributed to hospitals, clinics, water wells, desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities. UNRWA and humanitarian partners have been also able to collect some 400 tonnes of solid waste in and around shelters, and to conduct 30,000 primary health-care consultations, and provide psychosocial support to IDPs.

  • The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) delivered 61 trucks containing food, non-food items, water, primary health-care medicines and emergency medical supplies to four distribution centres in the north. This is the largest delivery of assistance to the north since the Israeli ground operation began.

  • On 25 November, 17 hostages held in Gaza and 39 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli prisons were released. The hostages released included 13 Israelis – five women and eight children – and four foreign nationals. Among the Palestinian detainees, six were women and 33 boys.

    Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #50

Displaced children in an UNRWA camp in southern Gaza. Photo by WHO, 14 November 2023

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #49. Nov 24

The 24 hours prior to the pause witnessed an intensification of Israeli strikes from air, land and sea in multiple areas throughout Gaza, alongside ground battles with Palestinian armed groups to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) and in the Middle Area. In one of the deadliest incidents, at about 20:00 on 23 November, a school in Jabalia was hit in an airstrike, reportedly killing 27 people and injuring another 93. 

  • The pause has allowed the UN to scale up the delivery of assistance into and across Gaza. On 24 November, 200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana to the Rafah crossing, and 137 trucks of goods were offloaded by the UNRWA reception point in Gaza, making it the largest volume of aid since the resumption of humanitarian deliveries on 21 October. Additionally, 129,000 litres of fuel and, for the first time since 7 October, four trucks carrying cooking gas, crossed into Gaza.  

  • The agreement reportedly  involves the gradual release of hostages and detainees. On 24 November, 24 hostages held in Gaza and 39 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were released. The hostages released included 13 Israelis – nine women and four children – and 11 foreign nationals. Among the Palestinians detainees were 24 women and 15 boys.  

  • It is estimated that several thousands of Palestinians attempted to move from the area south of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south) to the north on 24 November, despite an Israeli military warning that returning to the north is prohibited. In several reported incidents in the morning and the afternoon, Israeli forces opened fire and threw teargas canisters at people heading northwards; at least one person was reportedly killed, and dozens injured.  

Read the report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #49

In the first day of the humanitarian pause, the UN scaled up the delivery of humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza. Hundreds of thousands were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items. Photo by WFP 

More aid delivered into Gaza on first day of humanitarian pause

Press release

More aid delivered into Gaza on first day of humanitarian pause

24 November 2023

During the humanitarian pause that has been in place since this morning, the UN was able to scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza.

200 trucks were dispatched from Nitzana to the Rafah crossing.

137 trucks of goods were offloaded by the UNRWA reception point in Gaza making it the biggest humanitarian convoy received since October 7.

129,000 litres of fuel and four trucks of gas also crossed into Gaza.

21 critical patients were evacuated in a large-scale medical operation from the north of Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of people were assisted with food, water, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian items.

The UN welcomes the release of 24 hostages held in Gaza since October 7 and renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Humanitarian teams from the UN and partners will continue to ramp up humanitarian operations to meet the needs of people throughout Gaza in the coming days.