Attachments
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) was activated on 31 October 2023 in response to the conflict crisis in Gaza. Situation Reports are published weekly.
Highlights
• On 03 July, the ETC field coordinator participated in the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) meeting, which focused on additional information about the UN2720 Mechanism, a database established to channel and register all humanitarian relief consignments destined for entry into Gaza for pre-clearance.
• On 02 July, the ETC received telecommunications equipment, including Very High Frequency (VHF) radios and a solar-powered solutions kit, which has been delivered to the WFP office in Jerusalem. The equipment delivered by the local vendor in Jerusalem is intended to support the set-up of a new VHF repeater site in Gaza City and Security Operations Centres (SOCs) in Gaza and Jerusalem. The ETC is awaiting approval from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to import this equipment into Gaza.
• During the reporting period, the ETC submitted requests to COGAT for approval to import 41 VHF radios into Gaza. These radios, belonging to nine UN agencies, were programmed at the UNDSS server in Jerusalem and are currently awaiting approval.
• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Humanitarian Situation Update reports that the number of people internally displaced within Gaza has risen from 1.7 to 1.9 million people (approximately nine out of 10 people), many multiple times, following the recent evacuation orders on 01 July.
Situation overview
The security situation in Gaza remains volatile due to the continuing hostilities. Israeli bombardment from the air, land, and sea, as well as ground incursions and heavy fighting, continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
On 01 July, in the second largest evacuation order since October 2023, the Israeli military ordered residents of 71 residential blocks in eastern Khan Yunis and Rafah to immediately evacuate westwards to a "humanitarian zone" in Al Mawasi. The recent OCHA Humanitarian Situation Update reports that the number of people internally displaced within Gaza has risen from 1.7 to 1.9 million people (approximately nine out of 10 people) following evacuation orders. The UN and its partners estimate that about 250,000 people may have resided in the evacuation area when the order was issued. Most of the humanitarian responders were relocated to Deir Al Balah following the incursion in Rafah on 06 May, resulting in most of the humanitarian offices in Rafah being temporarily closed and nonoperational.
The Kerem Shalom border crossing, which was operational at a limited capacity for transporting humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza, is now suspended due to security incidents. Erez West is the only crossing for importing humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza.