Attachments
Summary of major revisions made to emergency plan of action:
Through this update, the timeframe of the DREF Operation is extended by three months (until 30 November 2021). The main reason for the extension is to allow time to finalize the procurement process of replenished items as well as finalizing and piloting the Psychological FA learning platform. It is also important to mention that with the fourth wave of COVID19 outbreak in the country at the moment, accompanied with additional restrictions, the NS staff are under extra pressure related to other urgent activities in response to the outbreak, which also contributed to some delays in the implementation of the DREF activities.
As for the budget, the development of the learning module is expected to cost less than the originally budgeted amount, and the leftovers (approximately CHF 20,000) will be reallocated to the procurement of the helmets and flak jackets.
However, the total budget of the DREF operation will remain unchanged.
A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Description of the disaster
Since 6 pm 10 May, Israel faced a complex emergency that escalated during the following days, during which thousands (approx. 4,300) of rockets were fired towards Israeli villages and cities surrounding and up to 170 km from the Gaza strip border including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Beer-Sheba. The situation got to a peak in the week following 14 May with rockets fired all over the country, massive civil unrest spread throughout the country, and many legal instruments used to tackle the situation. After which, MDA has activated its national response mechanism (highest level of alert) not only at the local branches level (in the areas directly affected by the rocket strikes – 170 km from Gaza border), but also activating on the highest level of alert all MDA branches nationwide. This highest level of alert nationally was sustained between 14 and 22 May.
Operation Update Report Israel: Complex Emergency Public On 14 May rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the north of Israel for the first time during the escalation. These rockets landed in the Mediterranean Sea or uninhabited areas, activating rockets alarm but not causing any casualties.
Rockets continued to be fired in high quantities until cessation of hostilities took place on 21 May at 02:00 AM.
During this whole period, population in the south, center and north of Israel was under direct threat of rocket strikes.
In addition to the rocket strikes, in many cities all over Israel, civil unrest broke out and violent demonstrations took place, during which hundreds of people were injured and severe damage has been caused to buildings and infrastructure.
The civil unrest peaked in East Jerusalem on 10 May and spread within the next days to more cities. On the night of 11 May, for the first time in the history of Israel, a state of emergency and a night curfew were declared in the city of Lod, and the public at risk was evacuated from their houses in one night (all their needs have been taken care of by the local authorities). On 12 May, the civil unrest spread to more cities, also in the north of the country, and on 14 May, violent incidents were reported also in Judea and Samaria, as well as in many locations in Israel.
In the center and south of Israel (in the areas under risk of rocket strikes), schools have been closed, and public gatherings in open places were prohibited. The affected population in the villages and cities in the range of the rockets has been required to remain in the vicinity of 15-90 seconds from the shelters, depending on their distance from the border. Within several kilometers from the Gaza strip border, the movement in roads and train tracks has been restricted.
Since the beginning of the escalation, 13 Israelis were killed and hundreds were injured. MDA treated 799 and transported most of them to hospitals.
On 21 May at 02:00 AM a ceasefire was declared.