Attachments
• Continued dismantling of the health system, exacerbated with the Rafah incursion, jeopardizing health service provision, access to health care, and delivery of life-saving supplies. Despite contingency planning, an expanded incursion in Rafah will have disastrous impact on the existing humanitarian crisis..
◦ On 7 May, Israel announced a “limited ground operation” in eastern Rafah. On 8 May, following shelling in its vicinity, the Najjar hospital – one of three functioning hospitals in Rafah– went out of service, having to evacuate patients to nearby hospitals, e.g., Kuwait hospital, IMC and Indonesian field hospitals.
◦ With the Najjar hospital going out of service, haemodialysis service is no longer available in Rafah. Efforts are underway to resuscitate the Nasser Medical Complex to receive renal patients.
◦ Only two out of 36 hospitals (Nasser and Aqsa hospital), 5 of 9 out of field hospitals, 17 out 89 primary healthcare centers, 23 out of 188 medical points, and 10 mobile clinics are located within the so-called “Humanitarian Area” map shared by Israeli authorities.
• Fuel shortages with the closure of Rafah and Kerem Shalom Crossings are threatening the continuity of humanitarian interventions, including health care provision. The Health Cluster interventions alone require a minimum of 46,000 liters daily. In the event of an expanded military operation in Rafah, it is anticipated to have mass casualties that would require emergency surgical procedures and referrals; there will be a heightened demand for fuel.
• Around 80K people have reportedly been displaced out of Rafah at the risk of having no shelters, following the mass evacuation orders to nine blocks in eastern Rafah and increased shelling across the city. The WHO Director General stated that WHO has no intention of withdrawing from Rafah, and will stay and deliver alongside partners.
• The Shelter and site management sector reported having less than 1,500 tents currently available in Rafah for distribution to the displaced population.
• With the start of the Rafah incursion, Rafah Crossing with Egypt was closed for the movement of people and goods, halting delivery of critical medical supplies and medical evacuation of patients. An estimated 14,000 patients require medical evacuation in the Gaza Strip, with 4,843 patients evacuated as of 7 May.
• Increasing insecurity, destroyed roads and infrastructure, and lack of proper facilitation of humanitarian missions continue to hinder health access. A sustained and functional deconfliction mechanism is needed to facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian aid across the Gaza Strip, as per International Humanitarian Law.
• Partner operations continue to be negatively affected by the displacement of staff, operational challenges, and disrupted telecommunication.
• Limited access to proper WASH facilities continue to contribute to the rise in infectious disease, including diarrhoeal illness and hepatitis A.