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Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #60 [EN/AR/HE]

Attachments

Key points

  • Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea across Gaza have significantly intensified since 4 December afternoon, alongside intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, in particular in the eastern parts of Gaza city, Jabalia refugee camp, and areas east of Khan Younis. Rocket firing by Palestinian armed groups to Israel also increased.
  • On 5 December, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths stated: “Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Not hospital, not shelters, not refugee camps. No one is safe. Not children. Not health workers. Not humanitarians. Such blatant disregard for basic humanity must stop. The fighting must stop.”
  • According to the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH), since the resumption of hostilities on 1 December and until 5 December 18:00, at least 1,207 Palestinians were killed, 70 per cent of whom were children and women. On 5 December, the UN Human Rights Office stated that “the pattern of attacks that target or impact on civilian infrastructure raises serious concerns about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law and significantly raises the risk of atrocity crimes.”
  • On 5 December, dozens of aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and fuel entered from Egypt into Gaza; however, as of 23:00, figures were not available. The ability of the UN to receive incoming loads of aid has been significantly impaired over the past three days by several factors. These include a shortage of trucks within Gaza, with some being stranded in the Middle Area, which has been severed from the south; the telecommunications blackout on 4 December; and the increasing number of staff who were unable to report to the Rafah crossing due to the hostilities. On 4 December, the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lynn Hastings stated that “the use of only the Rafah crossing - meant for pedestrians - to bring in trucks of goods does not work.”
  • On 5 December, for the third consecutive day, Rafah was the only governorate in Gaza where limited aid distributions took place. In the adjacent Khan Younis governorate, aid distribution largely stopped due to the intensity of hostilities. The Middle Area was largely disconnected from the south, following Israeli forces’ restrictions of movement along the main roads. Access from the south to areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) came to a halt on 1 December, with the resumption of hostilities.
  • Since 3 December, tens of thousands of IDPs have arrived in Rafah, presumably from the areas across the Khan Younis governorate. As shelters in Rafah city have exceeded their capacity by far, most newly arriving IDPs have settled in the streets and in empty spaces across the city. UNRWA has distributed hundreds of tents, which have been erected in two separate sites alongside hundreds of makeshift shelters.
  • On 3 December, the Israeli military designated an area covering about 20 per cent of Khan Younis city for immediate evacuation. Similar evacuations orders were issued in previous days for a large area east of Khan Younis. Together, these areas in Khan Younis governorate encompass about 22 per cent of the Gaza Strip. Prior to the hostilities, they were home to about 381,000 people; an additional 245,000 IDPs were staying there in 71 shelters; alongside others staying with host families. The Israeli military instructed residents to move to two areas in Rafah and to Al Fakhouri in eastern Khan Younis,
  • Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, civilian harm. This can entail evacuating civilians or giving effective advance warning of attacks, which provides civilians enough time to leave, as well as a safe route and place to go. All possible measures must be adopted to ensure that those civilians displaced can afford satisfactory conditions of safety, shelter, nutrition, and hygiene and ensure that family members are not separated. Civilians choosing to stay in areas designated for evacuation do not lose their protection.
  • On 4 December, the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed concern that the intensification of hostilities in and around Khan Younis “are likely to cut thousands off from health care – especially from accessing Nasser Medical Complex and European Gaza Hospital, the two main hospitals in southern Gaza – as the number of wounded and sick increases.”
  • On 5 December, the World Food Programme (WFP) stated that “the resumption of hostilities in Gaza will only intensify the catastrophic hunger crisis that already threatens to overwhelm the civilian population.” The statement indicated that “the renewed fighting makes the distribution of aid almost impossible and endangers the lives of humanitarian workers.”

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

  • The following are among the deadliest incidents reported since the afternoon of 4 December, involving the hitting of residential buildings:
    • On 4 December, at about 14:40, seven people, including two girls, were reportedly killed in Deir al -Balah;
    • On 4 December, at about 15:40, seven people were reportedly killed in Khan Yunis;
    • On 5 December, at about 07:30, 15 people were reportedly killed in Jabalia;
    • On 5 December, at about 8:50, ten people were reportedly killed in the new camp in Nuseirat, Middle Area.
  • On 3 December, an UNRWA school in Khan Younis sheltering nearly 3,800 IDPs was hit following a strike nearby, killing four IDPs and injuring seven, while another UNRWA school in Deir Al Balah, sheltering about 6,170, sustained damage. Since 7 October, an estimated 222 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and another 911 injured.
  • According to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, between 7 October and 5 December, at least 16,248 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, about 70 per cent of whom are said to be women and children. Many more are missing, presumably under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery.
  • Overall, 85 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

  • On 1 December, the Israeli military issued a detailed online map, where the Gaza Strip is divided into hundreds of small areas. Reportedly, the map is intended to facilitate orders to evacuate people to specific areas ahead of their targeting. On the following two days, various areas, encompassing about 28 per cent of the Gaza Strip, were marked for evacuation. The ability of residents to access this information is impaired by the recurrent interruptions in telecommunications and the lack of electricity to charge electronic devices.
  • According to UNRWA, nearly 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced (IDPs) as of 3 December. Nearly 1.2 million of these IDPs are registered in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, of whom about one million are registered in 99 UNRWA shelters in the south. Another 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be staying in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are hosted by families or out in on the open, near shelters. However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging, especially given difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families, movement of IDPs following evacuation orders since 1 December, and access restrictions.
  • Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters in the south, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including potentially Hepatitis A.
  • Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities;women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.

Electricity

  • Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. Depending on the availability of fuel, electricity is produced by generators, as well as by solar panels. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza strip, please see this dashboard.
  • Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)
  • Between 4 and 5 December, two series of airstrikes hit the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia, resulting in an unknown number of casualties; ground battles between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups have been ongoing nearby. Over 10,000 IDPs have been sheltering inside and around the hospital and are unable to leave due to the fighting. Media reports indicate that corpses have been accumulating inside the facility without possibility of burial.
  • On 5 December, at about 11:30, a number of people were injured, including a paramedic, when two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances transporting people injured and killed south of Deir al Balah were hit.
  • Hospitals in the south are barely able to cope with the influx of injuries including two hospitals which Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supports – Al Aqsa and An Nasser. This challenge is compounded the MSF’s suspension of support to two medical clinics located in areas under evacuation orders. MSF reported that, on 3 and 4 December, more than 100 fatalities and 400 injuries arrived at Al Aqsa hospital. To address this surge, a temporary wound dressing unit has been set up to provide wound management to patients with chronic wounds or injuries.
  • The 12 hospitals in the south are partially functional. At present, the bed capacity across Gaza is 1,400, down from 3,500 beds prior to the hostilities. This decline comes amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to WHO.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

  • Grave concerns about waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources persist, particularly in the north where the water desalination plant and the pipeline from Israel was shut down. There has been almost no improvement in the access of residents in the north to water for drinking and domestic purposes for weeks.
  • UNRWA continues to operate nine water wells pumping about 10,000 cubic metres a day to provide potable and domestic water supply in shelters across Gaza. Potable water trucking operations to the shelters in Rafah and Khan Younis areas continue despite the dangerous conditions. Additionally, shelters in Rafah started receiving potable water through tankers from the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility.
  • Solid waste collection from the camps, shelters and transfer to landfills continued in the Middle Area, Khan Younis and Rafah. About 45 loadings were transferred to temporary dumping sites on 3 December. There is an urgent need for additional sanitation trucks and vehicles.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

  • The indiscriminate rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza towards Israel intensified on 5 December; no fatalities were reported. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
  • During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released. It is estimated that about 138 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to Israeli sources. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces.

Violence and casualties (in and around the West Bank)

  • On 4 December, two Palestinian men were shot and killed by Israeli forces in Sa'ir (Hebron) next to their homes; no confrontations were reported at the time of the shooting. On 5 December, Israeli forces shot in the head and killed a Palestinian man after breaking into his apartment in Qalandiya refugee camp (Jerusalem) during a search and arrest operation.
  • Since 7 October, 249 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Of those killed in the West Bank, 239 have been killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and another two have been killed either by forces or settlers. The eight-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. Already, 2023 is the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
  • Since 7 October, four Israelis, including three members of Israeli forces, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. An additional four were killed in West Jerusalem in a Palestinian attack (one of whom was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him).
  • Two-thirds of the Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchanges of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
  • Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,325 Palestinians, including at least 528 children; 45 per cent of them in the context of demonstrations and 46 per cent in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations. An additional 84 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by Israeli forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused with live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

  • On 4 December, armed assailants who are known by Palestinian residents to be settlers but were wearing Israeli military uniforms, raided the community of Khirbet Zanuta (Hebron); they demolished one residential structure, two animal structures, and partially destroyed the walls of a classroom of the school in the community.
  • Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 318 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (35 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (241 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (42 incidents). The weekly average of such incidents during this period stands at 39, compared with 21 incidents between 1 January and 6 October 2023. However, the number of incidents since 7 October has gradually declined from 80 incidents in the first week (7-14 October) to 18 incidents in the last (27 November - 3 December). One-third of these incidents included firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reportedly seen as supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

  • Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
  • On 2 December, Israeli forces sealed off on punitive grounds the homes of two brothers from Sur Bahir, in East Jerusalem, accused of killing three Israelis in West Jerusalem, on 30 November. As a result, two households comprising of five people, including two women and three children, were displaced.
  • Additionally, 283 Palestinians, including 149 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of Israeli issued building-permits; and 63 Palestinians, including 31 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

  • As of 4 December, Member States have disbursed US$377.1 million against the updated Flash Appeal launched by the UN and its partners to implement its response plan in support of 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 31 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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