Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #135. March 8

On 6 March, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the names of 42 Palestinian patients scheduled to travel to Egypt through the Rafah Crossing for medical treatment. According to WHO, an estimated 8,000 patients need to be medically evacuated from Gaza, including over 6,000 trauma-related patients, and 2,000 patients with serious chronic conditions, such as cancer. Of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, 12 are partially functioning, one is minimally functioning and 23 are non-functional. Two field hospitals are fully functional and the third is minimally functioning. Only 20 of 80 primary health care facilities in Gaza are now functional. The damage to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis during the Israeli military operation in February has rendered it non-functional; the Israeli military alleged that the hospital was used by Palestinian combatants for military purposes. Of the 27 UN attempts to reach Nasser hospital in February, only 12 missions were initially coordinated by the Israeli military and, of them, only six were facilitated, reaching their destination.

The access of Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) to northern Gaza hospitals has not been possible due to the security situation, there are no EMTs in the area. In February, only six of 24 planned missions to areas north of Wadi Gaza were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. The low number of planned missions is primarily due to an operational pause, after a UN-coordinated food convoy was struck by Israeli naval fire on 5 February. On 1 March, WHO led two life-saving missions to northern Gaza, to provide essential fuel and medical supplies: on 1 March to Shifa hospital to deliver 19,000 litres of fuel and critical medical supplies; and on 3 March to Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, providing 19,500 litres of fuel for each hospital, in addition to essential medical supplies.

read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #135

Five months into the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, the scarcity of food, water and medical care has left many struggling to survive, particularly pregnant women and new mothers. Photo by UNRWA

Thurs, 3/21 at noon ET--webinar from our friends at 1for3. Please try to attend

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I am writing to invite you to attend a great webinar we are holding on the topic of food and health in UN-run Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank on Thursday 21 March at 12 Noon.

The speakers will be my colleagues in Palestine who run our food and health programs. They are navigating a devastating Israeli closure of their economy, enduring increased military and settler violence, and ongoing apartheid laws while witnessing the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Despite these very real hurdles, the team in Palestine is building hydroponic gardens, training people to use them, integrating nutritious food with healing practices that address chronic illnesses, and promoting food sovereignty. I hope you can join. 

You can get more details and register at: https://www.1for3.org/webinar-on-health

The webinar is part of our on-going fundraising campaign to support our partners working in food, water, health, and kindergarten education in the West Bank. I hope you will consider being a part of this important effort. Here is a link you can use to find out more and to donate: https://www.classy.org/campaign/support-palestinian-refugees-working-against-trauma-violence-and-scarcity/c563128.

For more news follow us on: Instagram and Facebook

As always, thanks for your support and solidarity.

Nidal Al-Azraq – 1for3.org 

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #132. March 5


On 4 March, Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza resumed partial operations after fuel and medical supplies were delivered by a UN inter-agency mission.

  • The UNRWA Commissioner-General has said that the Agency is now functioning ‘hand-to-mouth’ following the decision by major donor countries to pause their funding.

  • According to HelpAge, the decision by major donors to withdraw funding from UNRWA will worsen the plight of already deprived Palestinian civilians, including older people.

  • A 10-year-old Palestinian child was killed by Israeli forces in Burin village (Nablus). Since 7 October, 107 Palestinian children have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The oPt HF and the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) are currently funding more than 94 ongoing projects in the Gaza Strip to meet urgent humanitarian needs, notwithstanding constraints on the entry and delivery of aid into and within the Gaza Strip. These interventions, totalling about $88 million, address needs in the areas of food security, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health and protection. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #132

The access of UN-coordinated humanitarian deliveries to northern Gaza has been largely denied over the past months, leaving people with very limited means to survive. This photograph was taken during a UN refuelling mission to northern Gaza, following which Al Awda hospital resumed partial operations. OCHA/Themba Linden, 3 March 2024