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UNRWA Situation Report #34 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information is valid as of 19 November 2023 at 22:30 local time) [EN/AR]

Attachments

  1. Key points

The Gaza Strip

§ Almost 1.7 million people have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since 7 October.

§ As of 19 November, nearly 930,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are now sheltering in 156 UNRWA installations across all fve governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north.

§ Nearly 770,000 IDPs are sheltering in 99 facilities in the Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas. Nearly 160,000 IDPs were sheltering in 57 UNRWA schools in the northern and Gaza areas as of 12 October 2023, before evacuation orders were issued by Israeli Authorities. UNRWA is not able to access these shelters to assist or protect IDPs and does not have information on their needs and conditions.

§ On 18 November, Israeli Authorities authorized the entry of 120,000 litres of fuel that will be used over two days and will only cover half of the daily critical needs. UNRWA has been informed that 120,000 litres of fuel will be delivered every two days.

§ Without the amount of fuel needed to implement all the necessary humanitarian operations,
o UNRWA is forced to handle a reduced number of aid trucks carrying humanitarian aid crossing daily into Rafah;
o people will only have two thirds of their daily needs of clean drinking water;
o large parts of Gaza will continue to be fooded with sewage, further increasing risks of disease; o 70 per cent of solid waste will not be removed, posing a major health hazard.

§ According to the logistics cluster, on 18 November, 30 aid trucks entered Gaza, followed by another 69 trucks the following day. As of 19 November, a total of 1,268 aid trucks had entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Of these, 200 were UNRWA trucks, carrying food, water, medical supplies and other essential non-food items.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• On 19 November, several overnight Israeli Security Forces (ISF) operations were reported across refugee camps in the West Bank.

• The ISF conducted a search and arrest operation in Jenin refugee camp. An exchange of fre took place between Palestinians and ISF. One Palestinian with special needs was killed at the entrance of the camp and around fve Palestinians were injured. Damage to infrastructure by ISF bulldozers was once again reported.
The operations in Jenin City and refugee camp lasted for over 12 hours, impacting UNRWA operations and service delivery in the camp. Four UNRWA schools remained closed and provided remote learning, impacting over 1,600 students.

• On the same night, ISF conducted an operation in Balata refugee camp, Nablus, for the second night in a row.
An exchange of fre took place between Palestinians and ISF. Six Palestinians, including one minor were reportedly injured with live ammunition. Several camp residents were detained. Damage to public infrastructure and private property was also reported. The operation lasted until the morning, impacting UNRWA operations and service delivery in the camp, including disrupting the school day for over 2,500 students at four UNRWA schools in the camp.

• On the same day, the ISF conducted a search and arrest operation in and around Qalandia refugee camp, located close to Qalandia checkpoint. An exchange of fre took place between Palestinians and ISF. Two Palestinians were reported injured and one was detained.

• Another ISF operation was carried out in Dheisheh refugee camp, Bethlehem. An exchange of fre took place between Palestinians and ISF, resulting in the killing of one Palestinian.