Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #85. Jan 5
According to UNICEF, cases of diarrhea in children under five years of age rose from 48,000 to 71,000 in just one week starting 17 December. This is equivalent to 3,200 new cases of diarrhea per day. Before the escalation in hostilities, an average of 2,000 cases of diarrhea in children under five were recorded per month. It has been reported that displaced children and adults are unable to maintain the necessary hygiene levels, with some resorting to open defecation. The inability to prevent diseases is attributed to the lack of safe water and sanitation due to damaged or destroyed essential water and sanitation systems in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, UNRWA reported that diaper supplies are not sufficient, as they cover only 25 per cent of the babies in shelters.
On 5 January, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated that “the humanitarian community has been left with the impossible mission of supporting more than 2 million people, even as its own staff are being killed and displaced, as communication blackouts continue, as roads are damaged and convoys are shot at, and as commercial supplies vital to survival are almost non-existent... medical facilities are under relentless attacks while they are overwhelmed with trauma cases, critically short of all supplies and inundated by desperate people seeking safety.”
read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #85
About 90 per cent of children under two in Gaza are consuming two or fewer food groups, a UNICEF survey has found. One in every four pregnant or breastfeeding women consumed only one food group the day before the survey. The risk of famine is increasing every day. Photo by UNRWA
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #84
Heavy Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip, including central Gaza, the southern town of Khan Younis, and Jabalya Camp in northern Gaza. The firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel also continued. Additionally, ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were reported, including in areas such as Al Bureij and Al Maghazi camps in Deir al Balah, where Palestinians have relocated following orders from Israeli forces to move from northern Gaza, and the Ad Darraj and At Tuffah neighbourhoods of Gaza city. Reportedly, these operations resulted in high numbers of fatalities.
On 4 January, the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Khan Younis was struck for the third consecutive day. PRCS reported that seven IDPs (internally displaced people) sheltering in the compound, including a five-day-old baby, had been killed, while another 11 people were injured over the three days of bombardment. PRCS also reported that dozens of residential buildings and people gathered at the entrance of Al Amal Hospital had been hit, resulting in dozens more deaths and injuries.
read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #84
“Before the war, I managed our school’s radio station,” says eight-year-old Shaimaa who lost her foot and her hand when a nearby house was struck during hostilities, “I dream of becoming a journalist, to document the attacks against children.” Photo by UNICEF/Zaqout
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #83. Jan 3
Between the afternoons of 2 and 3 January, 128 Palestinians were killed, and another 261 people were injured, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. Overall, between 7 October and 12:00 on 3 January, at least 22,313 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to the MoH in Gaza. About 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. During the same period, 57,296 Palestinians were reportedly injured. Up to 7,000 people are estimated to be missing, with many presumably to be buried under the rubble.
On 3 January, the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Khan Younis was bombed multiple times throughout the day. Casualty numbers are unconfirmed as of yet. Multiple displaced families that had been sheltering in the building and in the PRCS headquarters attempted to evacuate as a result of the bombing on 2 January, where five fatalities were reported, including a five-day-old baby. A training centre run by PRCS within the hospital complex was severely damaged. OCHA and the World Health Organization (WHO) visited the hospital, witnessing extensive damage and displacement of civilians. An estimated 14,000 people were sheltering at the hospital at the time of the attack.
There is a lack of essential items including children’s clothing, diapers, sanitary pads in the local markets.
Read the entire report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #83
Now nearing day 90, this conflict must end. Amid death, injury, devastation, displacement, hunger and thirst, aid operations are heavily restricted and can only respond to a fraction of people's needs. Photo by UNRWA
