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Crisis in Palestine: UNFPA Palestine Situation Report, Issue #13 - 01 - 31 December 2024

Attachments

Highlights

● The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza deepens, with over 45,000 killed, more than 100,000 injured, and nearly the entire population displaced, many multiple times. Women and children account for 70% of casualties, and over 70% of infrastructure has been destroyed.

● Humanitarian access remains severely restricted. In December, less than 30 per cent of planned aid movements were facilitated, with none permitted into North Gaza. 46 UNFPA trucks carrying essential reproductive health supplies and life-saving items have been stalled at the border for months.

● The health sector in Gaza is being systematically dismantled. Kamal Adwan Hospital was severely damaged in a December raid, and heavy bombardment on the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia has rendered it non-functional. Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, the last remaining facility in North Gaza, is on the brink of collapse, struggling to provide care amid ongoing hostilities, depleted supplies, and critical shortages of life-saving medicines. Recent reports indicate that it, too, has been ordered to evacuate, leaving the area without any operational hospitals.

● Famine-like conditions are escalating, with 345,000 people, including 8,000 pregnant women, facing IPC 5 levels of food insecurity. Malnutrition among children and pregnant women continues to worsen, driving up rates of preterm births and neonatal complications. Approximately 10% of babies are born preterm or with low birth weight, and over half of pregnant women suffer from anemia.

● Gender-based violence (GBV) is surging, particularly among displaced women and girls living in overcrowded and poorly lit shelters. The lack of privacy, hygiene facilities, and menstrual supplies exacerbates risks and further undermines safety and dignity.

● In the West Bank, escalating violence and demolitions have displaced thousands. In December, a record 78 people forcibly evicted in a single day in East Jerusalem, the highest number since October 2023. Curfews and movement restrictions continue to impede access to livelihoods and essential services.

● UNFPA reached over 76,250 people in December: Over 16,500 people accessed life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services; 51,000 individuals accessed protection services; and 8,750 adolescents and youth beneted from education, mental health, and recreational initiatives.