Attachments
SUMMARY OF CRISIS AND KEY FINDINGS
More than a year after the most recent escalation began, Gaza is in ruins.3Gaza is facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe; over 45 000 people have been killed, with women and children accounting for 70% of fatalities. An additional 111 000 people have been injured, and nearly 1.9 million displaced multiple times, amid relentless bombardments.
Israeli bombardment from the air, land and sea continues to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure.5The month of October was dominated by the huge impact of the incursion on North Gaza, which started on 5 October and continues going into November. Access remains extremely challenging, and partners’ ongoing attempts to deliver aid into these besieged areas continues to be largely prevented, leaving between 65 000 and 75 000 people without access to food, water, electricity or reliable healthcare, as mass casualty incidents continue.
Some primary healthcare service points have moved south to Gaza Governorate with the population whilst others have closed leaving only the twohospitals as the main sources of healthcare services. The twohospitals are barely functioning due to severe shortages of medicines, medical supplies, fuel, food, water and other necessities. There is now an estimated over 355 000 people in Gaza governorate as there has been very little movement to the southern governorates.8Asof 3 December, around 80% of the Gaza Strip is under active Israeli-issued evacuation orders.
On 8 November 2024, the Famine Review Committee (FRC) issued an alert about a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within northern Gaza, due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation, severe restriction of food supply and access, continued attacks on WASH, health, and nutrition care facilities.10It is believed that the reasonable worst-case scenario, that was outlined in the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis in October 2024, has been reached in northern Gaza11.
In Gaza,many goods are on the brink of running out.12While humanitarian assistance has dwindled, it still serves as the main source of food for households in Gaza.13The significant drop in the average daily truck entries into Gaza to 58 in October 2024 marks the lowest level since November 2023. Nearly all the trucks during October were humanitarian14, with few commercial trucks crossing into Gazadue to a ban by Israel.15Destruction of health infrastructure, attacks on hospitals and health workers and severe restrictions on the entrance of medical suppliesinto Gaza and within Gaza, have devastated Gaza’s health, water and sanitation infrastructure, driving the current public health crisis in Gaza.16The dire situation was recently highlighted by thedetection of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)in Gaza, after 25 years of being polio-free. Humanitarian pauses across specific areas of the Gaza Strip have enabled the first round of the emergency polio vaccination campaign.
Skin and respiratory infections, acute diarrheal illnesses and other viral diseases continue to rise across Gaza.18Persistent fuel shortages continue to threaten humanitarian interventions, including health care provision, impacting the functionality of hospitals, PHCCs and ambulance services.19Medical evacuation of patients outside of Gaza remains limited since 7 May. According to UNICEF, at the current rate of medical evacuations, it would take seven years to rescue 2500 children in urgent need of medical evacuation, and some children have died while waiting for approvals.
On 28 October, the Israeli Knesset adopted two laws that prohibit the Israeli authorities from having any contact with UNRWA and ban the agency from working in areas under Israeli sovereignty, which will enter into effect after three months.21If implemented, these measures would likely prevent the delivery of UNRWA operations in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including East Jerusalem, as mandated by the UN General Assembly to serve Palestine refugees, including 2.5 million registered in the oPt.22In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, UNRWA’s absence would disrupt essential health, education, and social services, significantly impacting humanitarian conditions and potentially destabilizing the region. This disruption would collapse operationsacross 96 schools serving 47 000 students, three vocational training centres, 43 health centres, and halt cash assistance.
According to Israeli authorities, over 1200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed inside Israel, and approximately 5400 reported injured. As of 12 November, there have been 373 reported fatalities and 2425 reported injuries of Israeli soldiers since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
This most recent violence does not come in a vacuum.25Palestine has endured a protracted cycle of hunger, conflict, and despair for over five decades. In 2023, this cycle reached unprecedented new peaks as tensions escalated in the occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank on 7 October, resulting in civilian fatalities, widespread destruction, massive displacement, rising food prices and a declining currency.26In 2022, UNRWA reported that 81%of Palestine refugees in Gazalivebelow the national poverty line, with 33%of families extremely poor. Gaza also faces high unemployment rates, with 44%of the population unemployed in 2022.27The unprecedented impact of the current war on Gaza demands a transformative shift in addressing mounting immediate needs, revaluating long-term systemic challenges to relief efforts, and confronting the root causes of the conflict by ending the occupation and upholding international law.