LUISTER NAAR DE JOODSE STEMMEN OVER

DE ISRAELISCHE MEGA-MISDRIJVEN TEGEN

HET INTERNATIONAAL HUMANITAIR RECHT

JEGENS DE PALESTIJNEN !

THE JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE - JVP

  LEES "THE WIRE" !

BERICHTEN NA 31-12-2023 STAAN HIER 

31 januari 2024

Een Ander Joods Geluid. Dat STEEDS VERDER AANZWELT!

WE MOETEN HET ZIONISME AFLEREN!

31 januari 2024

Gisteravond een bijzondere bijeenkomst in Pakhuis de Zwijger, een avond in de serie Justice for Palestine. Onder de titel "Het zionisme afleren" zat daar een panel van vijf kritische, en dus anti-zionistische joden. Jaap Hamburger, voorzitter van Een Ander Joods geluid, Erella Grassiani, van Gate 48 - kritische Israeli's in Nederland- , Jelle Zijlstra van Humanity in Action, Markha Valenta, assistent professor politieke wetenschappen en Joana Cavaco, van de nog jonge groep van kritische joden Erev Rav. Onder leiding van Chris de Ploeg gingen ze met elkaar in gesprek, en met een bomvolle zaal. Dit hebben we nog niet eerder meegemaakt, en ik was diep geraakt. Er komt nog een uitgebreider verslag, er is gefilmd. Maar voor nu geef ik jullie (met toestemming van Jaap) een ingekorte versie van de toespraak die hij hield - in naam van alle vijf de joodse deelnemers.

Geachte aanwezigen,

Het thema voor deze avond is de noodzaak ons te ontdoen van het Zionisme, persoonlijk, als joden, maar vooral als samenleving. Het Zionisme bepaalt immers in belangrijke mate de houding die ingenomen wordt tegenover Israël door de Nederlandse politiek en door overheid en regering. Zij worden hiermee constant gevoed, door organisaties, partijen en personen die zich veelal als ‘joods’ of als ‘christelijk’ presenteren maar in feite primair of zelfs uitsluitend Zionistisch zijn. Een paar voorbeelden. Het Centraal Joods Overleg ontpopt zich als een Zionistische belangenorganisatie, waarvoor het niet is opgericht, ik kom daar op terug, de ChristenUnie en de SGP zijn inzake Israël/Palestina allesbehalve christelijk, zelfs christelijke Palestijnen laten zij als een baksteen zakken, Christenen voor Israël verraden at the end of the day alles wat christelijk en joods mag heten en de zich opperrabbijn noemende Binyomin Jacobs is niet anders dan een in het zwart geklede opperzionist, die zichzelf zonder voorbehoud als boegbeeld heeft uitgeleverd aan de Christenen voor Israël en daarmee de ultieme verrader is van het judaïsme.

Als panelleden beschouwen wij het Zionisme als een in de 19e eeuw wortelende koloniale superioriteitsleer die de belangen van joden onder alle omstandigheden hoger acht dan die van alle andere mensen. Daarmee is het Zionisme strijdig met de hedendaagse opvatting, dat mensenrechten universeel en ondeelbaar zijn. Belichaamd in de Yeshuv, de proto-Israëlische staat, leidde het Zionisme al vanaf eind november 1947, dus nog voor de uitroeping van die staat in mei 1948, tot verdrijving van niet-joodse bewoners uit delen van het gebied dat thans Israël heet.

Het bepalende kenmerk van het Zionisme is, dat het een verdringingsleer propageert en praktiseert. Joden leven in die opvatting niet naast Palestijnen, maar nemen op den duur hun ruimte in. In de literatuur heet dat settler colonialism, verdringingskolonialisme. Dàt is de diepere reden van de weigering van Israël om een tweestatenoplossing te willen. De plaats van Palestijnen zal worden ingenomen door joden en Palestijnen moeten eenvoudigweg verdwijnen. De zeer recente uitingen van Israëlische politici over de toekomst van Gaza -ontdaan van Palestijnen - spreken boekdelen. Dàt is waarom sumud een Palestijns kernbegrip is, je niet van je plaats laten verdringen, vasthoudendheid. Opkomen voor Palestijnen geldt voor Zionisten als ‘antisemitisch’. Opkomen voor Palestijnen in onze optiek betekent evenwel de noodzaak het Zionisme ten principale ondergeschikt te maken aan mensenrechten en die voorop te stellen. Er bestaat voor ons geen Palestinian exception. Solidariteit met de Palestijnse zaak begint met het delven van een diep graf voor het Zionisme.

Het is vanavond mijn treurige voorrecht om namens de hier aanwezige joodse panelleden onze diep gevoelde ontzetting en woede uit te mogen spreken over wat de Israëlische regering sedert 7 oktober 2023 aanricht onder de burgerbevolking van Gaza. Ik doe dat namens hen maar ook namens ongekend veel andere Nederlandse en in Nederland wonende Israëlische en andere joden die ik hier allen aanwezig zou wensen. Bijvoorbeeld namens het bij u minder bekende Erev Rav, geïnitieerd door de Haagse Yuval Gal die het jaren geleden al onmogelijk vond in Israël te leven en die zijn bestaan in Nederland heeft opgebouwd. EravRav was aanwezig in Den Haag bij het betuigen van steun aan de Zuid-Afrikaanse genocideaanklacht bij het IGH. Ik denk aan de joodse academici die zich in een brief krachtig -en tegelijk prachtig -hebben uitgesproken tegen de verwoesting van Gaza en de laffe, massale moord op tienduizenden Palestijnen daar. Ik denk aan het recente artikel in Het Parool waarin Israëli’s en Palestijnen opriepen tot een staakt het vuren. Ik mag de sit-in’s op stations memoreren, met op de achtergrond meerdere organisatoren van joodse komaf. Ik meld u dat joden in diverse NGO’s dag en nacht werken om u de werkelijkheid van Gaza onverbloemd voor te houden. Ik spreek hier ook, met in gedachten de vele joden die op geen enkele wijze georganiseerd zijn, maar onderling bellen om bij elkaar uit te huilen in een poging de onverdraaglijke beelden uit Gaza draaglijk te maken door die te delen. Gedeelde smart is halve smart.

En ik doe dit in grimmige verontwaardiging over het verraad v/d officiële joodse en christelijk-Zionistische instanties en organisaties in Nederland die onder onze ogen schaamteloos doorgaan Israël een blanco cheque te verschaffen voor het plegen van massamoord op niet-joden, op Palestijnen. Het zijn aan joodse zijde meest dezelfde instanties die al moord en brand en ‘antisemitisme’ schreeuwen, als er een Davidster op een blinde muur aan het eind van een doodlopende steeg wordt gespoten of een grafsteen op een joodse begraafplaats omver wordt geduwd, dezelfde instanties die afgelopen 9 november met een vroom gezicht in de Portugese synagoge het ‘nooit meer’ van de kostbare Kristallnachtherdenking voorgoed tot een gênante aanfluiting hebben gemaakt.

Voor deze instanties geen beter leed dan joods leed. Een voorbeeld. In plaats van zich maar één moment te bezinnen op de massamoord op de bewoners van Gaza die 9 november al een maand onverdroten gaande was, hield de voorzitter van het organiserende Centraal Joods Overleg Chanan Hertzberger in de Portugese synagoge op 9 november een toespraak waarin elke medemenselijkheid ontbrak, een toespraak die opriep tot oorlogvoering, een toespraak die de boeken ingaat als een dieptepunt van ongegeneerd joods narcistisch zelfbeklag. Het was een toespraak die duidelijk maakte hoe makkelijk het onnadenkend en als vanzelfsprekend cultiveren van historisch slachtofferschap mensen kan doen verkeren in wegkijkers, of collaborerende daders in het heden.

De officiële joodse instanties, dat zijn het CJO en alle negen daarbij aangesloten organisaties steunen de verwoesting van Gaza, nemen er in ieder geval publiekelijk geen afstand van. De Christen-Zionisten, van Christenen voor Israël en Stand with Us tot de christelijke politieke partijen, zij buitelen in hun Zionistische geloofsijver over elkaar heen. Voortgaande massamoord voltrokken aan de Palestijnen in Gaza beroert hen niet, behalve als supporter. Ik zie hen stuk voor stuk als collaborateurs, die elke aanspraak op representativiteit, respectabiliteit of moreel gezag hebben verloren.

Officieel joods, lees: Zionistisch Nederland, is chronisch en ongeneeslijk ziek, de geest verduisterd, het hart versteend door zelf gekozen loyaliteit aan het Zionisme en aan Israël dat zich ontpopt heeft als een schurkenstaat in de voorste rij. Officieel joods Nederland moet van de grond af opnieuw opgebouwd worden, op basis van respect voor mensenrechten, die universeel en ondeelbaar zijn. De leidraad hoort de 'gulden regel' te zijn, in ons land teruggebracht tot het ‘wat gij niet wilt dat U geschiedt, doe dat ook een ander niet’. In het judaïsme komt het gebod van rabbijn - ja, toen wel! - van rabbijn Akiba Ben-Jozef uit de tweede eeuw.

De plechtige parade, de dito toespraken gisteren tijdens de nationale Auschwitz-herdenking, die ik hoog acht want ook meerdere familieleden van mij rusten in dat G’d-vergeten oord, bevestigden andermaal alles wat al zo duidelijk was sedert de Kristallnachtherdenking 9 november: we kunnen gedisciplineerd HER-denken maar kunnen we ook GE-denken? Kunnen we het besef opbrengen dat de brede context van ‘nooit meer Auschwitz' van ons vraagt dat we niet alleen OM-zien maar ook OM ONS HEEN zien? Kunnen we een verbinding maken tussen de menselijkheid die wij alsnog en terecht opeisen voor destijds vermoorde joden en de menselijkheid van Palestijnen die gisteren en vannacht en morgen door toedoen van Israël en Amerika vermoord worden? Wat staat ons hier in de weg? Trauma? Joodse groepsdwang? Onvermogen om joods leed en de joodse navel al is het maar voor even, vaarwel te zeggen? Misplaatste ideeën van eigen superioriteit? Vrees dat de buitenwereld zich tegen Israël of ‘ de joden’ zal keren? Trouw aan het Zionisme?

Onze premier heeft vanaf 7 oktober de verkeerde kant gekozen. Zijn “we hebben dit niet zo heel vaak meegemaakt, dat dit conflict zich richt op heel gewone mensen” was tenenkrommend. Zoals Ramsey Nasr ons heeft uitgelegd, de premier ziet in Israëli’s kennelijk wèl gewone mensen maar in Palestijnen die al 75 jaar door dit conflict geraakt worden, niet. Het ‘geen ja maar, nu even alle kritiek op Israël inslikken' was een opzichtige fout. Als historicus heeft hij in zijn analyse van die dag, als uit de hand gelopen uitbarsting van 75 jaar woede door onderdrukking, hopeloos gefaald. We zijn nu 30 duizend doodgebombardeerde grotendeels weerloze Palestijnen verder, we zijn 70.000 gewonde en voorgoed verminkte bewoners van Gaza verder. We zijn ongetelde aantallen ouders zonder kinderen verder, en kinderen zonder ouders. Met steun van Biden, president van 'de grootste democratie ter wereld’ raast de zionistische Vernichtungskrieg voort. In de bevriende 'enige democratie in het Midden Oosten’ is de Stahlhelm van weleer een keppel geworden.

Met de verwoesting van Gaza en de moord op tienduizenden in enkele maanden tijd, delft het zionisme zijn eigen graf. Wij zullen ons in de nabije toekomst ook buitenparlementair moeten organiseren, en daarbij alle geoorloofde middelen moeten inzetten om Palestijnen te blijven steunen en de Palestijnse zaak op de Nederlandse agenda te houden. We zullen waar mogelijk bondgenootschappen moeten sluiten. We zullen vooral de kloof tussen de publieke perceptie en sympathie voor de Palestijnse zaak ener- en de opvattingen die het PVV-kabinet daarover straks ventileert anderzijds, zò gapend wijd moeten maken, dat de hele politieke klasse daar met luid geraas in verdwijnt, om nooit meer op te duiken. Ik hoop dat u er enig vertrouwen in wilt behouden dat wij antizionistische joden bereid zijn voorop te gaan in de up-hill battle die ons in dit PVV-land nog te wachten staat.

J. Hamburger 29-01-2024

The world is watching - and we're not slowing down.

December 2023/Januari 2024

As Israel’ genocidal war on the over two millions Palestinians trapped in Gaza enters its third month, the devastation of this moment is palpable. Over 22,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, including over 10 000 children — and if something doesn’t change soon, far more will die of disease and starvation than have been killed by Israeli bombs.

Now is not the moment to slow down. Our power is growing, and the pressure being exerted by the Palestine solidarity movement is working: We can see the cracks forming — and we know that if we keep pushing, the façade will crumble, sooner rather than later.

That’s why. from Pittsburgh to Sacramento, Vermont to Milwaukee, we continue to mobilize our people to demand a ceasefire and an end to U.S military funding to Israel. Our message is clear: There can be no business as usual while our government arms a genocide. Let Gaza live. Free Palestine.

“Cease fire now: Pittsburgh locals gather for global solidarity vigil in support of Palestine, the Daily Item.” December 26, 2023

"All life is precious. We demand an end to the occupation and the siege: we demand an immediate and

permanent ceasefire in pursuit of collective liberation — for all Palestinians, Jews and people everywhere."

-Leonora Rosner, JVP-Pittsburgh

81-year-old Jewish activist fights Zionism in the US, one arrest at a time, TRT World, January 4, 2024

"It's my responsibility to speak out with my body and my voice as much as I possibly can to try to stop this madness, this genocide."

- Ros Pelchesky

Laura Mandelberg. Unlearning Myths. Learning Solidarity: My journey to calling for a ceasefire and Palestinian

freedom. Worlds of Possibility. December 2023

“Contrary to the myth that the Palestinian liberation movement is antisemitic, when I work for Palestinian freedom, I feel connected to my ancestors who suffered oppression, massacres, and genocide and wouldn't want anyone else to live through the same horrors. I feel deeply rooted in my Jewish values - tikkun olam (repairing the world), pikuach nefesh (prioritizing the saving of lives above all else), tdzedek (justice).”

“Downtown rally calls for US to stop military aid to Israel”. Brattleboro Reformer. December 23. 2023

“We Vermonters are calling for an end to business as usual while Israeli occupation forces use our tax dollars to drop bombs on the world's largest open-air prison,” said Addie Mahdavi, a Newfane resident and local organizer.

“My family, my community and I are watching the killing every day. For me this action is an act of hope and a chance to reclaim our collective power to bring this to a stop.”

Guest collumnists Molly Aronson, Aviv Nisinzweig, and Kaia Jackson: Common cause for Palestinians and Jews, Daily Hampshire Gazette, December 26, 2023

"And we know there will still be work to do. To recenter the humanity, dignity and self-determination of Palestinian people. To reject narratives that pit Jews and Palestinians against each other. And to fight for a future in which Palestinian and Jewish safety are a common cause. Anything less perpetuates the lie that our pain can only be healed by hurting someone else."

Rabbi speaks at Marquette University about growing Jewish resistance to Zionism, Wisconsin Muslim Journal, December 26, 2023

"If there's any single message I could offer at this particular moment, it is this is the time for speaking out. For being in the streets, for resisting those who would tell us to remain silent. It's a time, as Martin Luther King once said, to break silence "

- Rabbi Grant Rosen Co-founder of JVP Rabbinical Council

Protesters calling for Gaza cease-fire shut down California Assembly. San Francisco Chronicle, January 3, 2024

"We want our legislators to take a stand on the side of peace, on the side of justice, and on the side of humanity. Right now Israel is waging a genocidal campaign in Gaza, and we need all people of conscience to speak up, to put on end to this horrifying moment in history."

- Liv Kunins-Berkowitz. Media Coordinator. Jewish Voice for Peace

Polarized Israel-Gaza War Is Forcing Young U.S. Jews to Choose Sides, Haaretz, December 26, 2023

"I have found an amazing community of Jews across generations through JVP.”

- Jake Bernstein

Jewish protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza disrupt first day of California legislative session, The Associated Press, January 4, 2024

"We are Jews and Californians, Assembly members, we call on you to join us in demanding a cease-fire now.”

- A coalition of protesters, including members of JVP-Bay Area and JVP-Sacramento.

Jewish protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza disrupt 1st day of California legislative session. Spectrum News 1. January 3, 2024

"Hundreds of protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war interrupted the first day of California’s legislative session on Wednesday, forcing the state Assembly to adjourn just moments after convening.

Lawmakers had just listened to the opening prayer and said the Pledge of Allegiance when protesters wearing matching black t-shirts stood from their seats and started singing 'Cease-fire now' and Let Gaza live.”

California Assembly shut down by protest calling for Israeli cease-fire. Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2024

"Jennifer Esteen, a nurse who is running for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, took part in the protest, calling on state lawmakers to issue a resolution to demand a cease-fire.

'These decisions that we can make here in California will absolutely change federal policy,' Esteen said as Organizers chanted, 'Free Palestine.'"

Protesters at California State Capitol disrupt Assembly session, CBS News, January 3, 2024

“The only safety for Jews is to be in solidarity with all peoples."

- Penny Rosenwasser, JVP-Bay Area

Defunding UNRWA is another heinous act of genocide.

Read the full Wire on our website 

Tell Biden: Reinstate UNRWA funding now.

Israel stands accused of genocide.

Premiering tomorrow!

31 januari 2024

Scholar and activist Angela Davis joins Frank Barat on Witnessing Palestine to discuss the importance of solidarity with Palestinians as they face genocide in Gaza by Israel.

Today's headlines

‘Israel besieges Nasser Hospital for tenth consecutive day

Palestinians buried 100 bodies held by Israel in a mass grave in Rafah. Netanyahu says a truce and exchange deal won’t happen on his watch, while Israeli forces started flooding Gaza tunnels.

Executed in their sleep: How Israeli forces assassinated three Palestinians in a raid on a West Bank hospital

Israeli forces disguised as hospital workers and civilians entered Jenin’s Ibn Sina Hospital and assassinated three Palestinians as they slept. The brazen killing marks an unprecedented escalation in Israel’s war on Palestinians in the West Bank.

Chicago City Council set to vote on ceasefire resolution despite multiple efforts to postpone

Giving birth in the Gaza genocidE

Sameh Jindiyya's daughter was born nine days ago in Al-Shifa hospital. Ever since he has been frantically searching for food for his nursing wife. “This is how we’re born in Gaza,” he tells Mondoweiss. “We are born with death hovering over us."

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #106

Intense bombardment continues across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in additional casualties, displacement, and devastation. The destruction of homes is estimated to have generated over 8 million metric tons of debris, which could take years to remove. Devastation in Khan Younis. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko, 29 January 2024

31 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 30 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals, and reports of Palestinians fleeing to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of a safe passage. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 29 and 30 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 114 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 249 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 30 January 2024, at least 26,751 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 65,636 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between the afternoons of 29 January and 30 January, the Israeli military did not report on any fatalities among Israeli soldiers in Gaza. As of 30 January, 218 soldiers were killed, and 1,283 soldiers injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 29 January, the Israeli military ordered residents of the neighbourhoods of An Nassar, Ash Sheikh Radwan, Ash Shati Refugee camp, Rimal Ash Shamali and Al Janubi, Sabra, Ash Sheikh ‘Ajlin, and Tel Al Hawa in western Gaza city to evacuate towards the south. The new order covered an area of 12.43 square kilometres, which amounts to 3.4 per cent of the total area of the Gaza Strip. This area was home to almost 300,000 Palestinians before 7 October and, subsequently, 59 shelters with an estimated 88,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking refuge there. The Israeli repeated these evacuation orders on 30 January. Since 1 December, when the Israeli military started ordering people to evacuate from specific areas, 158 square kilometres, which amount to 41 per cent of the Gaza Strip, have been placed under such orders. This area was home to 1.38 million Palestinians before 7 October and, subsequently, it contained 161 shelters hosting an estimated 700,750 IDPs.
• During the past week, large numbers of Palestinian men have been observed being detained by the Israeli military at a checkpoint within the city of Khan Younis, with many of them stripped to their underwear, blindfolded and taken away.
• In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe an increasing trend in denied and restricted access to the northern and central areas of Gaza. The reasons include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints and heightened hostilities in central Gaza. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also frequent, impeding the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid and pose serious risks to those involved in humanitarian efforts.
• On 30 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that shrapnel falling on Al Amal Hospital and the adjacent PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis had resulted in one fatality and nine injuries among IDPs taking refuge there. Later, that day, the PRCS reported that both buildings had been raided by the Israeli military and that PRCS teams and IDPs were asked to evacuate the premises; the Israeli military has denied the claim. On 29 January, at about 14:00, the PRCS reported that the surgical ward at Al Amal Hospital had ceased operations due to the depletion of oxygen supplies. The PRCS stated that the continuing fighting and the siege of the facilities is hindering the movement of ambulances and emergency medical teams in Khan Younis and preventing medical teams from reaching the injured and transporting them to the hospital for necessary medical care.
• On 29 January, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expressed its alarm at the deteriorating lack of obstetric care in Gaza, caused by the continuous bombings, restrictions on humanitarian aid, and attacks on healthcare facilities. In the Rafah area, the Emirati Maternity Hospital is the main remaining facility for displaced pregnant women but can only respond to the most urgent and life-threatening deliveries, as it struggles to cope with three times the number of deliveries it handled before the war. With so little access to maternal health services, many pregnant women have not received any care since the start of the war, and are unable to check on the health of their children. Displaced women are giving birth in plastic tents and public buildings and those who manage to deliver in a hospital often return to their makeshift shelters just hours after undergoing a caesarean. MSF is supporting the Emirati Hospital with postpartum care by adding 12 beds to the ward, to reach a 20-bed capacity, thus allowing more patients to receive proper monitoring post-delivery. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 50,000 women are pregnant, and according to UNICEF an estimated 20,000 babies have been born since the start of the war.
• In a statement issued on 30 January, Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee referred to recent decisions by various Member States to pause funds for UNRWA, warning that such actions would have "catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza," as "no other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breath of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need." They have called upon donors to reconsider such decisions, which have come in response to Israeli allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the 7 October attacks on Israel. Referring to these attacks as heinous, the Principals recalled the Secretary-General's statement whereby "any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable."
• In the early morning hours of 30 January, Israeli undercover forces, disguised as medical staff and civilians, killed three Palestinian men inside Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin city. Among the fatalities were two brothers, one of whom was receiving treatment for wounds he sustained in an Israeli airstrike in Jenin on 25 January. According to Israeli military, the men were planning attacks in Israel and hiding in the hospital. The Israeli army also claimed that one of the fatalities had a gun, a claim denied by hospital staff. Describing the incident as ‘a seemingly planned extrajudicial execution,’ the UN Human Rights Office called on the Israeli authorities ‘to immediately end the unlawful killing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which the office has increasingly documented after 7 October, and to provide accountability for all unlawful use of force. Subsequently, Israeli forces raided Jenin city and exchanged fire with Palestinians and arrested three.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 28 and 29 January:
  • On 28 January, at about 17:30, four Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, after a residential building in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Middle Area, was struck.
  • On 28 January, at about 19:00, at least 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed, after a residential building in Ash Shati’ Refugee Camp, Gaza city, was struck.
  • On 28 January, at about 21:40, 23 Palestinians were reportedly killed, after a residential building in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Middle Area, was struck.
  • On 29 January at about 18:00, six Palestinians, including four children, were reportedly shot and killed while driving in their vehicle in Gaza city, according to PRCS.
  • On 29 January, at about 15:00, 25 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others were injured, after a residential building in At Tuffah neighbourhood, Gaza city, was struck.
  • On 29 January, at about 19:30, 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others were injured, after a residential building in As Sabra neighbourhood, Gaza city, was struck.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 26 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is where over one million people are squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
• On 29 January, according to UNRWA, 10 IDPs were killed and several more injured as a result of Israeli missile strike inside a classroom in a school in Gaza city. At least 372 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and 1,335 injured since 7 October.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. The seven partially functional hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. Hospitals in Khan Younis are at risk of closure due to intense hostilities and the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, on average, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• As of 25 January, according to the WHO, only 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. ‘Partial functionality’ indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is ‘minimally functioning,’ providing available services to patients in its care, but no longer receiving patients or supplies, as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and experiencing intense fighting. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis, which was previously designated as ‘minimally functioning,’ and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services, is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.

Humanitarian Access

• Between 1 and 25 January, 51 missions to deliver humanitarian aid were planned for the north of Wadi Gaza; however, only eight were facilitated by the Israeli military while 29 were denied access. Most of the missions that were facilitated access were related to food distribution, while those intended to support critical hospitals and Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) facilitates were largely denied access. The access of two missions was partially facilitated (e.g., only the assessment components were facilitated, without a planned delivery of aid supplies) and another four were postponed (due to security and other requirements). In an emerging pattern, the access of an additional eight planned missions was initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded as routes designated by the Israeli military proved to be unpassable, or the imposition of excessive delays prior to the departure of the missions or at checkpoints en route.
• Between 1 and 25 January, humanitarian partners coordinated 87 humanitarian missions to the Deir al Balah governorate of Gaza, of which 63 per cent (55 missions) were facilitated and 25 per cent (22 missions) were denied access. Due to increasing military activity, ten missions were postponed. Postponement of humanitarian movements to and from hospitals and humanitarian sites has been an emerging trend since 12 January due to increased military activity. The need to coordinate movement to areas south of Wadi Gaza has only been a requirement by the Israeli authorities since December.
• None of the 22 requests by the United Nations to the Israeli military to open checkpoints early to access areas north of Wadi Gaza were facilitated. Given the heavy congestion around UN warehouses and the high levels of needs, early movement is essential for security, programmatic and protection reasons. The humanitarian community has consistently called for both main supply routes to be open in Gaza, and for checkpoints to open at 6:00 every day. Only one of the two main supply routes has been made available for aid missions so far.
• In addition to widespread attacks on health care facilities and workers, 12 incidents of attacks against, and access constraints on, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were recorded between 7 November 2023 and 24 January 2024. These included ten instances of direct and indirect fire resulting in seven deaths and 12 injuries (including to members of EMTs, patients and other people within the vicinity) and two entry blockages. These teams have been undertaking life-saving surgeries in partially functioning over-congested hospitals across Gaza.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, 370 Palestinians have been killed, including 94 children, across 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 these 370 fatalities, 360 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 30 January), 61 Palestinians, including at least 13 children, have been killed by Israeli forces, settlers or either Israeli forces or settlers. Another Palestinian man was killed by Palestinians on 7 January 2024, reportedly in the belief that he was a settler.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, six Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This includes a Palestinian woman with Israeli citizenship, residing in the West Bank, who died on 24 January from wounds she received in an attack by Palestinians on 7 January. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, 4,386 Palestinians, including 660 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,250 have been injured by Israeli forces, 115 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 477 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (48 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (372 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (57 incidents).
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacement occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, 495 Palestinians, including 246 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain. About 100 Palestinian homes have been demolished on the same grounds between 7 October 2023 and 30 January 2024.
• A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• As a result of an Israeli raid on 29 January in Tulkarm and its refugee camps of Nur Shams and Tulkarm, significant damage to infrastructure and residential houses was reported. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 30 January 2024, 744 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 117 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 30 January, Member States have disbursed $700.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 57 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 21-28 January

Health

Needs

• Primary health services are critically needed in informal shelters across the Gaza Strip. In addition, routine immunization, sexual and reproductive care, and medication for non-communicable diseases and psychotropics are essential to address the population's medical needs. Establishing field hospitals in different areas of the Gaza Strip will be a crucial enabler to accommodate the local population's medical needs.
• Some 6,000 patients are still on the waiting list to be evacuated outside of Gaza for tertiary medical care.
• There is an urgent need for laboratory equipment and reagents to enable accurate diagnosis and testing; blood products to support medical procedures and surgeries; and a humanitarian corridor for referral of critical patients from Nasser Hospital to the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Younis.
• Health facilities, including hospitals, urgently need fuel, medical supplies, and food to continue to provide medical services across the Gaza Strip.

Response

• Since the start of hostilities, in Gaza, 25 partners have established presence and have provided health services to over 500,000 people.
• Some 12 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are currently operational, with two additional teams scheduled to arrive next week. As of end of January 2024, these EMTs have treated some 12,410 patients requiring emergency surgeries and treatment for non-communicable diseases and severe acute malnutrition.
• During the reporting period, 53 patients, including 15 critical cases, were successfully evacuated from UNRWA’s Khan Younis Training Centre.
• The International Medical Corps (IMC) Field Hospital has now expanded its health services to include a maternity ward and pediatrics unit.
• In the West Bank, mobile clinics have provided healthcare services to about 83,000 Palestinians in 86 communities have access to mobile clinic services, with more than 25,000 Palestinians across 36 communities expected to gain access at the beginning of February.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, the escalation of hostilities in Khan Younis has resulted in a significant increase in attacks against the few remaining partially and minimally functional health facilities and an increase in the number of IDPs seeking refuge in Rafah.
• Ongoing fighting in the vicinity of Al Amal and Al Kheir hospitals have severely affected their functionality and accessibility. Al-Kheir hospital, a critical facility for maternal and newborn care, is currently non-operational due to extensive damage.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Municipality of Gaza city estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.

Response

• About 23,000 cubic metres of water per day were accessible through water lines, municipal wells, as well as trucking and bottled water (estimated 10,000 cubic metres) between 22 and 28 January.
• Some 6,000 cubic metres of water per day were accessible through the only functional Israeli water pipeline, in contrast to close to 53,000 cubic metres that used to be available through all pipelines prior to the current hostilities.
• Some 3,200 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 2,500 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, due to access restrictions, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled. As of 29 January, only 27 per cent of WASH’s requirement ($148.6M) is funded, according to the FTS.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Protection partners report having observed increased risk-taking behaviour during a food distribution in Gaza city, with displaced people hasting towards aid trucks, amid attacks.
• Released detainees urgently need winter clothes and shoes, and tents, in addition to cash assistance. Released detainees asked for assistance in retrieving their personal belongings, that were confiscated while detained by the Israeli military.
• Reports indicated that pregnant women have been unable to reach health facilities or call ambulances to be transferred to health facilities, and thus have been forced to give birth in UNRWA shelters, which are not equipped with the necessary medical and sanitation facilities to ensure safe births. Protection focal points have provided hygiene and dignity kits, amid scarcity of kits; however, women’s specific needs after childbirth remain unmet.
• UNRWA reports increased levels of domestic violence, against women, in instances where they were unable to obtain food and NFIs from partners.
• Due to constant hostilities, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages among the population affected by shelling and/or explosive contamination, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), in the event they will return to potentially contaminated areas, after the hostilities.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• During the reporting period, UNRWA documented the release of 60 detainees (all males) from Gaza at Kerem Shalom, including an unaccompanied minor and one injured person; the Agency provided non-food items and coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support the released detainees with cash assistance and clothing. Some 28 released detainees were released in two UNRWA schools in Rafah and were assisted with medical care and psychological first aid. Six were transferred to a health facility, while the remaining 27 were reconnected with their families.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys; in particular, UNMAS EOD Operators supported three convoys to the north, including two food convoys and one fuel delivery to Shifa Hospital. Two explosive threat assessments were conducted in Khan Younis, including one at the Khan Younis Training Centre.
• Humanity and Inclusion (HI) coordinated and prepared to mobilize staff for future EORE/CPP sessions – some sessions were already held in Rafah and Dir Elbalah. HI is also working on a mass media EORE/CPP campaign.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity and communications challenged.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic NFIs, and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children from harsh weather conditions and to minimize overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.
• The lack of proper informal settlement planning has led to makeshift shelters and tents flooding on rainy days, further exacerbating the suffering of the people displaced.
• Urgent funding is needed to address the key gaps in the supply of shelter and NFIs. As of 29 January, only 24 per cent of the Shelter Cluster funding requirement (209.2M) has been funded.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 1,040 family tents in Mawasi (Khan Younis) and Mawasi (Rafah) for unsheltered IDPs. Some 1,450 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats, were distributed to IDPs in Rafah.
• Shelter partners indicate that the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have established tented camps near Khan Younis, with 600 tents. They intend to increase the size of the camp to some 1,000 tents to accommodate about 5,000 people displaced.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.
• One of the challenges that displaced people face is the lack of hand tools to prepare the location of their tents and to protect them from rain and floods – as hand tools are currently not permitted to enter Gaza.
• Due to security concerns and limited access, partners had to restrict the delivery of the assistance to Rafah and Khan Younis.
• Cluster partners indicate that pricing for SNFIs has risen in regional markets, including high freight rates and shipping costs. Further, partners face persistent challenges in the supply chain, keeping up with regulations and registration in regional countries.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners provided food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters between 15 and 21 January; while from 1 to 17 January, bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.
• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.

Response

• In response to exceptional circumstances in Gaza, a specific protocol has been developed for the use of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Due to the vulnerability of young children (especially those aged 6-23 months) during crises, the protocol allows for blanket distribution of RUTF beyond its primary intended purpose. Children aged 24 to 59 months will receive high-energy biscuits/LNS-MQ as part of the blanket distribution plan. This expanded use aims to provide both preventive and curative care for acute malnutrition and wasting in this age group.
• On 27 January, UNICEF received 2000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food supplies which will support 10,000 children for 1 month.
• The nutrition sub-cluster in Gaza will prioritize conducting -upper arm circumference (MUAC) screenings for acute malnutrition in children and provide training to partners on this matter.
• The Nutrition Cluster is collaborating with partners to identify their training needs and enhance their capacity to effectively respond to nutrition activities.

Challenges and gaps

• Ongoing hostilities in Gaza have led to severe food shortages, inadequate WASH facilities, and a breakdown in health services, placing children under-five and Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (PBW) in a state of nutritional vulnerability. In the absence of proper anthropometric and mortality data to feed in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, an alternative approach is proposed to monitor the nutritional status of children under-five and PBW through an ongoing assessment of nutritional vulnerability. The ongoing analysis is conducted through a Global Nutrition Information in Emergencies Task Force that is co-chaired by UNICEF and WFP, and involves various partners such as Action Against Hunger, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Global Nutrition Cluster, the IPC, Save the Children and WHO.
• Given stock and funding, nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Education

Needs

• More than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education since 7 October 2023. The students need to access education safely.
• Some 92 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. 386 schools (78 per cent of the total school budlings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 138 schools that sustained major damage or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. The schools will need not be rebuilt or repaired and the needs of IDPs met. For more information, visit the Education Cluster Damaged School Dashboard.
• Education partners highlight the need for the protection of schools and education facilities from attacks, and to scale up advocacy, as well as prioritizing education as an essential programme, for the protection and well-being of children.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in shelters/DESs to start non-formal learning for children; provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is the identification and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devices for continuity of learning.

Response

• UNICEF with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Centre are working on establishing Temporary Learning Centres (TLS) to start non-formal education activities with displaced children in shelters/DESs. The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education

They eventually reached Rafah and were directed to a shelter in Tal Al-Sultan, a school under the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The school was crowded with people, and life there was incredibly harsh from every angle. Warda says: 'I'm worried about my children being exposed to infectious diseases due to the lack of cleanliness, water, and food. If I want to prepare a bottle of milk for my child, I have to struggle to buy mineral water. And if I want to use the bathroom, I must wait my turn among a large number of women. Inside me, there are a thousand knots of pain I never imagined living like these days, and I never imagined my children suffering this way and experiencing this pain. I cry from within for what has happened to me, my family, and all the people of Gaza.'"

“DE GROTE BETEKENIS VAN DE VOORLOPIGE UITSPRAAK VAN HET INTERNATIONAAL GERECHTSHOF”.

“Het Internationaal Gerechtshof geeft in zijn voorlopige uitspraak duidelijk aan dat Israël niet langer gezien kan worden worden als het eeuwige slachtoffer, en de holocaust niet langer werkt als een schild waarmee zelfs de meest ernstige misdrijven van Israël tegen de menselijkheid kunnen worden afgeschermd.”

Today's headlines

Israeli forces carry out assassination raid inside Jenin hospital disguised as doctors

Mustafa Abu Sneineh

30 januari 2024

Israeli forces continue to besiege Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, and carried out an assassination raid inside a Jenin hospital disguised as doctors and civilians.

The Rorschach test of Palestine in international law

Lori Allen

Some have argued that the ICJ ruling on the Gaza genocide proves that international law is a tool of the dominant, too corrupted by the great powers to achieve true justice. But the ICJ offered a way of isolating Israel, and that is a source of hope.

Egyptian officials are charging Palestinians a massive ransom to escape the Gaza genocide

Egyptian border officials are charging Palestinians in Gaza thousands of dollars to escape death in Gaza. And even those who manage to raise the exorbitant price through GoFundMe campaigns have not been let through for months.

The ICJ just took the Holocaust monopoly away from Israel

The International Court of Justice's genocide ruling shows Israel is no longer viewed as the eternal victim, and the Holocaust no longer shields it from scrutiny for the most grave crimes against humanity.

30 januari 2024

Something stunning happened this past Friday:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza.¹

Now it’s time for the Biden administration to act like it.

Tell President Biden: Listen To The ICJ Ruling — Stop Arming Israel.

Israel was ordered by the ICJ to comply with six separate measures from the court meant to stop ongoing genocidal acts and prevent future ones.²

Those measures include an “immediate and effective” order to ensure the entry of food, water, medicine, and other humanitarian needs into Gaza and report to the court on its compliance with all orders.³

With the ICJ’s initial orders released, the eyes of the world now turn to President Biden and the U.S. government.

This Wednesday, the UN Security Council will discuss the ICJ’s initial ruling on genocide in Gaza.⁴

Let us be clear:

We need the Biden administration to know that they must not use their UN Security Council veto power to shield Israel from the ICJ’s genocide ruling.

The U.S. must not shield Israel from complying with the ICJ’s orders — period.

Biden now has a decision to make.

Will the U.S. continue the flow of arms and military aid to Israel, even after the International Court of Justice has ruled that it is plausibly engaged in genocide?

We call on President Biden to join the calls for an immediate #CeasefireNOW, end the flow of arms from the U.S. to Israel, and not attempt to shield Israel from the ICJ’s orders.

In solidarity,

Linda, Lau, and the team at MPower Change

Sources:

1. “A top U.N. court says Gaza genocide is 'plausible' but does not order cease-fire,” NPR, 26 Jan 2024.
2. “ICJ Orders Israel to Prevent Acts of Genocide in Gaza,” Foreign Policy, 26 Jan 2024.
3. “ICJ says Israel must prevent genocide in Gaza,” BBC, 26 Jan 2024.
4. “UN Security Council to discuss ICJ ruling in Israel genocide case,” Al Jazeera, 27 Jan 2024.

29 januari 2024

29 januari 2024

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #105

People standing in a destroyed urban area of Khan Younis during another wave of displacement toward Rafah as intense hostilities continue and following new evacuation orders for large residential areas. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko, 29 January 2024

30 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 28 and 29 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals, and reports of Palestinians fleeing to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage. Rocket fire from Gaza into Israel continued as well. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 28 and 29 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 215 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 300 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 29 January 2024, at least 26,637 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 65,387 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between the afternoons of 28 January and 29 January, no Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 29 January, 218 soldiers were killed, and 1,267 soldiers injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 29 January, the Israeli military ordered the neighbourhoods of An Nassar, Ash Sheikh Radwan, Ash Shati Refugee camp, Rimal Ash Shamali and Al Janubi, Sabra, Ash Sheikh ‘Ajlin, and Tel Al Hawa in western Gaza city to evacuate towards the south. The new order covered an area of 12.43 square kilometres, which amounts to 3.4 per cent of the Gaza strip. This area was home to almost 300,000 Palestinians before 7 October and, subsequently, 59 shelters with an estimated 88,000 IDPs sheltered there. On 14 October, the Israeli military ordered the two northern governorates of Gaza, then home to a projected 1,206,963 people (Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics) to evacuate to the south of Wadi Gaza.
• Since 1 December, when the Israeli military started ordering specific areas to evacuate, 158 square kilometres, which amount to 41 per cent of the Gaza strip, have been put under such orders. This area was home to 1.38 million Palestinians before 7 October and, subsequently, it contained 161 shelters hosting an estimated 700,750 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• During the past week, large numbers of Palestinian men have been observed being detained at a checkpoint within the city of Khan Younis. People evacuating the area that pass through the checkpoint were checked by the Israeli military. Many of the men were stripped to their underwear, blindfolded and taken away.
• In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe an increasing trend in denied and restricted access to the northern and central areas of Gaza. The reasons include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints and heightened military activity in central Gaza. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also frequent, not only impeding the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid but also posing serious risks to those involved in humanitarian efforts.
• On 29 January, at about 14:00, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the surgical ward at Al Amal Hospital had ceased operations due to the depletion of oxygen supplies. PRCS also reported at least three fatalities and four injured IDPs being treated, with many more injured in the vicinity who could not be reached due to heavy fighting. Furthermore, many more people had evacuated towards the organization’s headquarters and the health facility. Continued bombardments jeopardize the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and the estimated 7,000 IDPs who had sought refuge there.
• The PRCS stated that the continuing fighting and the siege of the facilities is hindering the movement of ambulances and emergency medical teams in Khan Younis, and preventing medical teams from reaching the injured and transporting them to the hospital for necessary medical care.
• On 29 January, the transfer of humanitarian supplies into Gaza through Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel was resumed after four days of disruption by Israeli protests.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 28 and 29 January:
  • On 29 January at about 18:00, six Palestinians, including four children, were reportedly shot and killed while driving in their vehicle in Khan Younis, according to PRCS. A six-year-old girl survived but emergency medical services were unable to reach her for three hours due to fighting.
  • On 29 January, at least 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a residential building was struck in Gaza city, according to Palestinian media.
  • On 29 January, 25 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a residential building was struck in the east of Gaza city, according to Palestinian media.
  • On 29 January, two Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, after a residential building was struck in Nuseirat refugee camp, Deir al Balah, according to Palestinian media.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 26 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is where over one million people are squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. The seven partially functional hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. Hospitals in Khan Younis are at risk of closure due to intense hostilities and the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, on average, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• As of 25 January, according to the WHO, only 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. ‘Partial functionality’ indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is ‘minimally functioning,’ providing available services to patients in its care, but no longer able to receive patients or supplies, as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and experiencing intense fighting. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis, which was previously designated as ‘minimally functioning,’ and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services, is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.

Humanitarian Access

• Between 1 and 25 January, 51 missions to deliver humanitarian aid were planned for the north of Wadi Gaza; however, only eight were facilitated by the Israeli military while 29 were denied access. Most of the missions that were facilitated access were related to food distribution, while those intended to support critical hospitals and Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) facilitates were largely denied access. The access of two missions was partially facilitated (e.g., only the assessment components were facilitated, without a planned delivery of aid supplies) and another four were postponed (due to security and other requirements). In an emerging pattern, the access of an additional eight planned missions was initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded as routes designated by the Israeli military proved to be unpassable, or the imposition of excessive delays prior to the departure of the missions or at checkpoints en route.
• Between 1 and 25 January, humanitarian partners coordinated 87 humanitarian missions to the Deir al Balah governorate of Gaza, of which 63 per cent (55 missions) were facilitated and 25 per cent (22 missions) were denied access. Due to increasing military activity, ten missions were postponed. Postponement of humanitarian movements to and from hospitals and humanitarian sites has been an emerging trend since 12 January due to increased military activity. The need to coordinate movement to areas south of Wadi Gaza has only been a requirement by the Israeli authorities since December.
• None of the 22 requests by the United Nations to the Israeli military to open checkpoints early to access areas north of Wadi Gaza were facilitated. Given the heavy congestion around UN warehouses and the high levels of needs, early movement is essential for security, programmatic and protection reasons. The humanitarian community has consistently called for both main supply routes to be open in Gaza, and for checkpoints to open at 6:00 every day. Only one of the two main supply routes has been made available for aid missions so far.
• In addition to widespread attacks on health care facilities and workers, 12 incidents of attacks against, and access constraints on, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were recorded between 7 November 2023 and 24 January 2024. These included ten instances of direct and indirect fire resulting in seven deaths and 12 injuries (including to members of EMTs, patients and other people within the vicinity) and two entry blockages. These teams have been undertaking life-saving surgeries in partially functioning over-congested hospitals across Gaza.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 29 January, Israeli forces shot and killed five Palestinians, including two children, in four separate incidents.
• Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid in the village of Al Yamun, Jenin. Palestinians threw stones and pipe bombs at Israeli forces and the latter used live ammunitions, tear gas and sound bombs.
• Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in confrontations with Israeli forces in Dura village in Hebron. The confrontation took place during an Israeli raid, where Palestinians threw stones and Israeli soldiers shot live ammunition.
• Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian child, and withheld his body in Khirbet ad Deir village, Bethlehem. According to Israeli sources, the boy was shot while attempting to stab soldiers. Another boy was injured as Israeli forces shot at residents gathering in the area.
• Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old child during a search and arrest operation in Silwad village, Ramallah. Reportedly, confrontations took place between the Israeli military and the Palestinian residents.
• In a previous incident that has now been verified, on 24 January, a Palestinian woman with an Israeli citizenship, residing in the West Bank, died of wounds she sustained during a shooting attack carried out by Palestinians on 7 January while she was driving on a bypass road between Ramallah and Nablus. In the same incident, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem driving in a car ahead of her was killed after the perpetrators mistook him for a settler.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, 367 Palestinians have been killed, including 94 children, across 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 these 367 fatalities, 357 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 29 January), 59 Palestinians, including at least 13 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, six Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. On 24 January, a Palestinian woman with Israeli citizenship, residing in the West Bank, was killed by Palestinians. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, 4,382 Palestinians, including 660 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,246 have been injured by Israeli forces, 115 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 472 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (48 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (368 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents).
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacement occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, 495 Palestinians, including 246 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain. About 100 Palestinian homes have been demolished on the same grounds between 7 October 2023 and 29 January 2024.
• A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 29 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 28 January, Member States have disbursed $700.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 21-28 January

Health

Needs

• Primary health services are critically needed in informal shelters across the Gaza Strip. In addition, routine immunization, sexual and reproductive care, and medication for non-communicable diseases and psychotropics are essential to address the population's medical needs. Establishing field hospitals in different areas of the Gaza Strip will be a crucial enabler to accommodate the local population's medical needs.
• Some 6,000 patients are still on the waiting list to be evacuated outside of Gaza for tertiary medical care.
• There is an urgent need for laboratory equipment and reagents to enable accurate diagnosis and testing; blood products to support medical procedures and surgeries; and a humanitarian corridor for referral of critical patients from Nasser Hospital to the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Younis.
• Health facilities, including hospitals, urgently need fuel, medical supplies, and food to continue to provide medical services across the Gaza Strip.

Response

• Since the start of hostilities, in Gaza, 25 partners have established presence and have provided health services to over 500,000 people.
• Some 12 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are currently operational, with two additional teams scheduled to arrive next week. As of end of January 2024, these EMTs have treated some 12,410 patients requiring emergency surgeries and treatment for non-communicable diseases and severe acute malnutrition.
• During the reporting period, 53 patients, including 15 critical cases, were successfully evacuated from UNRWA’s Khan Younis Training Centre.
• The International Medical Corps (IMC) Field Hospital has now expanded its health services to include a maternity ward and pediatrics unit.
• In the West Bank, mobile clinics have provided healthcare services to about 83,000 Palestinians in 86 communities have access to mobile clinic services, with more than 25,000 Palestinians across 36 communities expected to gain access at the beginning of February.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, the escalation of hostilities in Khan Younis has resulted in a significant increase in attacks against the few remaining partially and minimally functional health facilities and an increase in the number of IDPs seeking refuge in Rafah.
• Ongoing fighting in the vicinity of Al Amal and Al Kheir hospitals have severely affected their functionality and accessibility. Al-Kheir hospital, a critical facility for maternal and newborn care, is currently non-operational due to extensive damage.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Municipality of Gaza city estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.

Response

• About 23,000 cubic metres of water per day were accessible through water lines, municipal wells, as well as trucking and bottled water (estimated 10,000 cubic metres) between 22 and 28 January.
• Some 6,000 cubic metres of water per day were accessible through the only functional Israeli water pipeline, in contrast to close to 53,000 cubic metres that used to be available through all pipelines prior to the current hostilities.
• Some 3,200 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 2,500 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, due to access restrictions, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled. As of 29 January, only 27 per cent of WASH’s requirement ($148.6M) is funded, according to the FTS.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Protection partners report having observed increased risk-taking behaviour during a food distribution in Gaza city, with displaced people hasting towards aid trucks, amid attacks.
• Released detainees urgently need winter clothes and shoes, and tents, in addition to cash assistance. Released detainees asked for assistance in retrieving their personal belongings, that were confiscated while detained by the Israeli military.
• Reports indicated that pregnant women have been unable to reach health facilities or call ambulances to be transferred to health facilities, and thus have been forced to give birth in UNRWA shelters, which are not equipped with the necessary medical and sanitation facilities to ensure safe births. Protection focal points have provided hygiene and dignity kits, amid scarcity of kits; however, women’s specific needs after childbirth remain unmet.
• UNRWA reports increased levels of domestic violence, against women, in instances where they were unable to obtain food and NFIs from partners.
• Due to constant hostilities, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages among the population affected by shelling and/or explosive contamination, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), in the event they will return to potentially contaminated areas, after the hostilities.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• During the reporting period, UNRWA documented the release of 60 detainees (all males) from Gaza at Kerem Shalom, including an unaccompanied minor and one injured person; the Agency provided non-food items and coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to support the released detainees with cash assistance and clothing. Some 28 released detainees were released in two UNRWA schools in Rafah and were assisted with medical care and psychological first aid. Six were transferred to a health facility, while the remaining 27 were reconnected with their families.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys; in particular, UNMAS EOD Operators supported three convoys to the north, including two food convoys and one fuel delivery to Shifa Hospital. Two explosive threat assessments were conducted in Khan Younis, including one at the Khan Younis Training Centre.
• Humanity and Inclusion (HI) coordinated and prepared to mobilize staff for future EORE/CPP sessions – some sessions were already held in Rafah and Dir Elbalah. HI is also working on a mass media EORE/CPP campaign.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity and communications challenged.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic NFIs, and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children from harsh weather conditions and to minimize overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.
• The lack of proper informal settlement planning has led to makeshift shelters and tents flooding on rainy days, further exacerbating the suffering of the people displaced.
• Urgent funding is needed to address the key gaps in the supply of shelter and NFIs. As of 29 January, only 24 per cent of the Shelter Cluster funding requirement (209.2M) has been funded.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 1,040 family tents in Mawasi (Khan Younis) and Mawasi (Rafah) for unsheltered IDPs. Some 1,450 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats, were distributed to IDPs in Rafah.
• Shelter partners indicate that the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) have established tented camps near Khan Younis, with 600 tents. They intend to increase the size of the camp to some 1,000 tents to accommodate about 5,000 people displaced.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.
• One of the challenges that displaced people face is the lack of hand tools to prepare the location of their tents and to protect them from rain and floods – as hand tools are currently not permitted to enter Gaza.
• Due to security concerns and limited access, partners had to restrict the delivery of the assistance to Rafah and Khan Younis.
• Cluster partners indicate that pricing for SNFIs has risen in regional markets, including high freight rates and shipping costs. Further, partners face persistent challenges in the supply chain, keeping up with regulations and registration in regional countries.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners provided food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters between 15 and 21 January; while from 1 to 17 January, bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.
• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.

Response

• In response to exceptional circumstances in Gaza, a specific protocol has been developed for the use of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Due to the vulnerability of young children (especially those aged 6-23 months) during crises, the protocol allows for blanket distribution of RUTF beyond its primary intended purpose. Children aged 24 to 59 months will receive high-energy biscuits/LNS-MQ as part of the blanket distribution plan. This expanded use aims to provide both preventive and curative care for acute malnutrition and wasting in this age group.
• On 27 January, UNICEF received 2000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food supplies which will support 10,000 children for 1 month.
• The nutrition sub-cluster in Gaza will prioritize conducting -upper arm circumference (MUAC) screenings for acute malnutrition in children and provide training to partners on this matter.
• The Nutrition Cluster is collaborating with partners to identify their training needs and enhance their capacity to effectively respond to nutrition activities.

Challenges and gaps

• Ongoing hostilities in Gaza have led to severe food shortages, inadequate WASH facilities, and a breakdown in health services, placing children under-five and Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (PBW) in a state of nutritional vulnerability. In the absence of proper anthropometric and mortality data to feed in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, an alternative approach is proposed to monitor the nutritional status of children under-five and PBW through an ongoing assessment of nutritional vulnerability. The ongoing analysis is conducted through a Global Nutrition Information in Emergencies Task Force that is co-chaired by UNICEF and WFP, and involves various partners such as Action Against Hunger, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Global Nutrition Cluster, the IPC, Save the Children and WHO.
• Given stock and funding, nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Education

Needs

• More than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education since 7 October 2023. The students need to access education safely.
• Some 92 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. 386 schools (78 per cent of the total school budlings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 138 schools that sustained major damage or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. The schools will need not be rebuilt or repaired and the needs of IDPs met. For more information, visit the Education Cluster Damaged School Dashboard.
• Education partners highlight the need for the protection of schools and education facilities from attacks, and to scale up advocacy, as well as prioritizing education as an essential programme, for the protection and well-being of children.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in shelters/DESs to start non-formal learning for children; provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is the identification and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devices for continuity of learning.

Response

• UNICEF with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Centre are working on establishing Temporary Learning Centres (TLS) to start non-formal education activities with displaced children in shelters/DESs. The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities.
• Since October 2023, eleven partners have reached more than 125,556 students and teachers (more information in the Education Cluster 5W dashboard) with psychosocial support, emergency learning, recreational supplies and activities, and awareness sessions in the Deir Al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners.
• The Education and the Shelter clusters are carrying out advocacy activities to highlight the devastating impacts of the current situation in Gaza on children and the inextricable links between shelter and schooling. On 24 January, on the occasion of World Education Day, the two clusters published a joint advocacy note and urged all actors to ensure that barriers to education are addressed, especially through the provision of adequate shelter that facilitates recovery and enables the right to learn.

Challenges and Gaps

• No activities have been undertaken in Gaza City and North Gaza governorates due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges.
• As of 29 January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only 14 per cent of its requirements ($114.5M). Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements, as well as supporting the long-run reconstruction of education facilities and structures, when hostilities subside.

Logistics

Response

• The Logistics Cluster has launched convoy coordination services in Jordan for two routes: Amman to Rafah, via King Hussein Bridge, and Amman to Rafah via Aqaba-Nuweiba. Details on the support and services provided by the Logistics Cluster are available in the Standard Operating Procedures. The Logistics Cluster had been engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan regarding discussions on the Jordan Corridor, to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• Partners continue facilitating access to temporary

29 januari 2024

Why Israel’s War Is Genocide

29 januari 2024

Since October, Israel has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, an estimated 70 percent of them women and children, in what a leading scholar of aerial bombing has called “one of the most intense civilian punishment campaigns in history.” Israel has been killing more than five times as many Gazans per day as the Nazis did, per capita, in the London Blitzkrieg. It killed roughly fifteen times as many children in the war’s first two months alone as Russia did in Ukraine in the invasion’s first eighteen months.

The Associated Press, citing analysts who specialize in mapping wartime bombing damage, reported that “the offensive has wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II.” Israel’s campaign has destroyed the homes of a third of Gaza’s residents, damaged almost two-thirds of all dwellings, and displaced 85 percent of its population, or 1.9 million people, through forced evacuations. More than ten Gazan children per day, on average, are estimated to have lost one or both of their legs.

The carnage is entirely deliberate. As a leaked analysis by the Dutch defense attaché in Tel Aviv put it, Israel “intends to deliberately cause enormous destruction to the infrastructure and civilian centers”; this is what explains the “high number of deaths” among civilians.

President Biden is Defunding UNRWA in the Midst of a Genocide, Let Him and Congress Know This Cannot Stand

29 januari 2024

Only hours after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take “all measures within its power” to prevent acts that could amount to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, including immediately halt attacks on Palestinians, halt incitement against Palestinians as a group and ensure entry of humanitarian aid, the White House announced that the United States was “pausing” funding for “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East” (UNRWA). UNRWA is fundamentally the most important UN agency for providing aid and support for more than 5.7 million registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East—including the desperate 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza. Yet, President Biden chose to aid Israel further in its genocide and pause funding following baseless and unfounded accusations from Israel that an immeasurably small fraction of its staff, 12 people (0.0004% of its workforce), were somehow involved in the October 7 attacks. 

TAKE ACTION: DEMAND The United States RESTORE Funding to UNRWA

The unquestioning acceptance of Israel’s accusations without demanding concrete evidence is unacceptable, and using those accusations to further reduce aid to millions of Palestinians in the middle of a genocide, aided and abetted by the Biden administration itself, is no less unconscionable. This is simply an excuse to further collectively punish Palestinians, and we cannot let this decision stand.

Today's headlines

Israel pushes Gazans further south; U.S threatens further regional violence

Leila Warah

29 januari 2024

The U.S. government threatens further regional violence on the heels of drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan. Human rights groups slam countries for pulling funding for UNRWA as Palestinians in Gaza face famine and starvation.

White guilt and Biden’s support for the genocide in Gaza

Underlying the unqualified American support for Israel's genocidal war on Gaza are feelings of white guilt over antisemitism, which have been projected onto a people that had nothing to do with these crimes.

SEIU Rank and File say union has further to go to support Palestinian liberation

Purple Up 4 Palestine

SEIU Rank and File and Staff welcome movement from Union leadership on Palestine, but demand SEIU stand firmly against genocide — and for Palestinian liberation

The Palestinian Authority’s role has become to delegitimize Palestinian resistance

The PA has allowed itself to become a tool for delegitimizing armed Palestinian resistance, surpassing the bounds of security coordination with Israel. It is now a direct collaborator amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #104

More people are fleeing hostilities or following evacuation orders as intense fighting continues in Khan Younis. “The people of Gaza have been enduring unthinkable horrors and deprivation for months,” UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths stated. “Their needs have never been higher.” Photo by OCHA

29 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 27 and 28 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported in proximity to Nasser and Al Amal hospitals, with reports of Palestinians fleeing to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage. Rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel continued as well. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported.
• Between the afternoons of 26 and 28 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 339 Palestinians were reportedly killed (165 people on 28 January, 174 people on 27 January), and 600 Palestinians were injured (290 on 28 January and 310 on 27 January). Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 28 January 2024, at least 26,422 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 65,087 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between the afternoons of 26 January and 28 January, no Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 26 January, 218 soldiers were killed, and 1,269 soldiers injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 27 January, the UNRWA Commissioner-General warned of the threat to the Agency’s ongoing humanitarian work, especially in Gaza, following the decision of a number of donor countries to temporarily suspend their funding. This was in response to allegations by the Israeli authorities that several UNRWA staff members had participated in the attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023. UNRWA has terminated the contracts of nine of the accused and an investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has been activated. “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region,” the Commissioner-General stated. UNRWA is the main humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over two million people now dependent on its services and some 3,000 out of its 13,000 staff in Gaza continuing to report to work, despite the ongoing hostilities. The UN Secretary-General also strongly appealed to “the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations. The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA (across the region), many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.”
• On 28 January, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths stated: “The people of Gaza have been enduring unthinkable horrors and deprivation for months. Their needs have never been higher – and our humanitarian capacity to assist them has never been under such threat. We need to be at full stretch to give the people of Gaza a moment of hope.”
• In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe a declining trend in their attempts to access the northern and central areas of Gaza. The reasons include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints and heightened military activity in central Gaza. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also frequent, impeding not only the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid but also posing serious risks to those involved in humanitarian efforts.
• As of 25 January, according to the WHO, only 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. ‘Partial functionality’ indicates that a hospital is accessible by people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is, ‘minimally functioning,’ providing available services to patients in its care, but no longer able to receive patients or supplies, as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and experiencing intense fighting. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis, which was previously designated as ‘minimally functioning,’ and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services, is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.
• On 26 January, Médecins Sans Frontières reported that Nasser hospital could no longer provide vital medical services, leaving many wounded patients with no options for treatment amid ongoing heavy fighting and bombing. The hospital’s surgical capacity is almost non-existent, and the handful of medical staff remaining in the hospital are trying to manage with very low supplies insufficient to handle the large influx of wounded people. Between 300 and 350 patients with war-related injuries remain at the hospital, unable to evacuate due to the danger and the lack of ambulances. On January 24, at least one patient at the hospital died because there was no orthopaedic surgeon available. Shelling in the vicinity of the hospital was reported again on 27 January.
• On 27 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces were continuing to bombard the vicinity of the Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS branch headquarters in Khan Younis, jeopardizing the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and the approximately 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had sought refuge there. The PRCS stated that dozens had been killed and injured inside, and in the vicinity of the two facilities amid ongoing fighting over the previous four weeks. The continuing siege of the facilities is hindering the movement of ambulances and emergency medical teams in the city, and preventing medical teams from reaching the injured and transporting them to the hospital for necessary medical care. The PRCS denied claims by Israeli forces of the presence of armed individuals inside the hospital building and appealed to the international community and partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to intervene to protect the hospital, the medical teams, the wounded, patients, and IDPs. On the morning of 28 January, shells were reportedly fired towards the vicinity of the European Hospital in Khan Younis, with casualties reported, amid intense fighting in the area.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 27 and 28 January:
  • On 28 January, at about 09:00, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed in Gaza city after a residential building was struck.
  • On 26 January, at least 10 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, after a residential building in Deir al Balah was struck.
  • On 26 January, at about 13:00, at least six Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, after a residential building in An Nuseirat Refugee Camp was struck.
  • On 26 January, at about 2:00, at least three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, in a strike in eastern Rafah.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 26 January, the head of the UN Human Rights Office () for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said that the people displaced who reached Rafah are resorting to living in the street, with sewage running in the streets and “conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order. An overspilling of violence in Rafah would have severe implications for the more than 1.3 million people who are already crowded into the city. Heavy rainfall has aggravated the humanitarian situation in tent encampments where IDPs have sought shelter, with UNRWA that an unknown number of tents of displaced people in Rafah were flooded and that “thousands of families sleeping on the floor are now freezing and unable to keep dry.”
• As of 26 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is where over one million people are squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Younis and the central area of the Gaza Strip in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
• On 23 and 25 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in several city blocks in Khan Younis across a four-square-kilometre area. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 beds), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities. On 25 January, the Israeli military reissued the same evacuation orders via social media.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. The seven partially functional hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. Hospitals in Khan Younis are at risk of closure due to intense hostilities and the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, on average, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• UNRWA reports that between 3 and 24 January, over 13,700 children were vaccinated against diseases including measles, mumps and rubella with vaccines supplied by UNICEF. However, only four out of 22 UNRWA health centres are still operational. Continuing bombardment and access restrictions prevent the provision of life-saving health services in these facilities.

Humanitarian Access

• Between 1 and 25 January, 51 missions to deliver humanitarian aid were planned for the north of Wadi Gaza; however, only eight were facilitated by the Israeli military while 29 were denied. Most of the missions that were facilitated were related to food distribution, while support to critical hospitals and WASH facilitates were largely denied. Two missions were partially facilitated (e.g., only the assessment components were facilitated, instead of a planned delivery of aid supplies) and another four were postponed (due to security and other requirements). In an emerging pattern, an additional eight planned missions were initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded as routes designated by the Israeli military proved to be unpassable, or the imposition of excessive delays prior to the departure of the missions or at checkpoints en route.
• Between 1 and 25 January, humanitarian partners coordinated 87 humanitarian missions to the Middle Area of Gaza, of which 63 per cent (55 missions) were facilitated and 25 per cent (22 missions) were denied. Due to increasing military activity, ten missions were postponed. Postponement of humanitarian movements to and from hospitals and humanitarian sites has been an emerging trend since 12 January due to increased military activity. The need to coordinate movement to areas south of Wadi Gaza has only been a requirement since December.
• None of the 22 requests by the United Nations to the Israeli military to open checkpoints early to access areas north of Wadi Gaza (in January) were facilitated. Given the heavy congestion around UN warehouses and the high levels of needs, early movement is essential for security, programmatic and protection reasons. The humanitarian community has consistently called for both main supply routes (MSRs) to be open in Gaza, and for checkpoints to open at 6:00 every day. Only one of the two main supply routes has been made available for aid missions so far.
• In addition to widespread attacks on health care facilities and workers, 12 incidents of attacks against, and access constraints on, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were recorded between 7 November 2023 and 24 January 2024. These included ten instances of direct and indirect fire resulting in seven deaths and 12 injuries (including to members of EMTs, patients and other people within the vicinity) and two entry blockages. These teams have been undertaking life-saving surgeries in partially functioning over-congested hospitals across Gaza.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 27 January, a Palestinian man, aged 24, died of wounds he sustained during an Israeli raid the night before in Deir Abu Da’if village in Jenin. The raid led to clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, during which Israeli forces exchanged fire with Palestinians.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, 362 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across 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 these 362 fatalities, 352 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 28 January), 53 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, 4,366 Palestinians, including 657 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,230 have been injured by Israeli forces, 115 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 464 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (46 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (362 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents).
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacement occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, 495 Palestinians, including 246 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 28 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 28 January, Member States have disbursed $700.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and seven in the north.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza.
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
  • A significant decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals.
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases among IDP.
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled.
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys.
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams.
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges remain in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations data for people who have lost such documents and for newborns The application process with authorities in Gaza is dependent on criteria that many residents in Gaza cannot meet, currently, including proving families ties in the West Bank or employment in international non-governmental organizations. Partners are engaging in advocacy efforts with the authority to find ways to facilitate document re-issuance.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters between 15 and 21 January; while from 1 to 17 January, bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
  • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
  • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
  • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
  • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
  • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
• A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two.
• On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

Challenges and gaps

• Given stock and funding, nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Education

Needs

• More than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education since 7 October 2023. The students need to access education safely.
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. A total of 378 schools (76 per cent of the total school budlings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 117 schools that sustained major damages or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. The schools will need not be rebuilt or repaired and the needs of IDPs met.
• Education partners highlight the need for the protection of schools and education facilities from attacks, and to scale up advocacy, as well as prioritizing education as an essential programme, for the protection and well-being of children.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in shelters/DESs to start non-formal learning for children; provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is the identification and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devises for continuity of learning.

Response

• UNICEF with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Center are working on establishing Temporary Learning Centers (TLS) to start non-formal education activities with the IDPs children in shelters/DESs. The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of

Today's headlines

UN chief urges Western countries to restore funding to UNRWA

Mustafa Abu Sneineh

28 januari 2024

Thousands of Israelis protested in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem calling on Netanyahu to resign, while others attempt to block aid trucks from entering Gaza. Meanwhile, the UN sad it has suspended the employees who Israel alleges took part in October 7.

Open letter on the anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic environment at Emory University

Students at Emory University have been targeted by racist, anti-Palestinian, xenophobic, and Islamophobic harassment and attacks for their support for Palestinian human rights.

Stop the suppression of Palestine advocacy across Big Ten Universities

Palestinian rights advocacy is being regularly demonized and criminalized across each Big Ten University. We reject this suppression and will continue holding our universities accountable for their complicity in the Palestinian genocide.

The failure of Zionism and the triumph of the Israel lobby

Zionism's promise to give Jews freedom in their own land has utterly failed. Jews are more insecure in Israel than ever, while American Jews' promise to support Israel blindly has allowed Israel to paint itself into a fascistic supremacist corner.

AMP Denounces Biden Administration's Unjust Funding Decision Amidst Unverified UNRWA Allegations

27 januari 2024

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) vehemently condemns Israel's unverified allegations that 12 employees of The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) may have been involved in the events that took place on October 7th.

Only a few hours after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled against Israel in the case brought before it by South Africa, the Department of State announced its hasty decision to suspend U.S. funding to UNRWA in response to allegations that an immeasurably small fraction of its staff (0.0004%), were somehow involved in the October 7 attacks. The Biden Administration's blatant hypocrisy reaches new heights as they hastily suspend funding humanitarian aid to Palestinians based on unproven allegations, all the while continuing to provide financial support for an ongoing genocide despite irrefutable evidence of Israel's egregious violations of the Genocide Convention, international humanitarian law and U.S. laws. This flagrant double standard not only undermines justice but further implicates the United States in perpetuating Israel’s human rights abuses. AMP demands an immediate reversal of this indefensible decision and an unwavering commitment to align with the principles of justice and accountability that the President swore to uphold during his presidential campaign.

The unquestioning acceptance of Israel's accusations without demanding concrete evidence is unacceptable, especially considering the pivotal role UNRWA plays in delivering indispensable aid to 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

This abrupt action is a blatant intensification of Israel’s collective punishment against Palestinians. It is particularly distressing given the ongoing humanitarian crisis and famine in Gaza, exacerbated by Israel's ongoing genocide, aided and abetted by the Biden Administration. The timing of these allegations, coupled with a well-documented historical pattern of Israel's decades-long quest to question and undermine UNRWA's legitimacy, reveals a calculated effort to sever the last remaining humanitarian lifeline to Palestinians in Gaza.

For over a decade, UNRWA has been a lifeline for Gaza, grappling with a relentless land, air, and sea blockade. The Biden administration's decision mirrors the actions taken during the Trump administration and starkly contradicts recent provisions by the International Court of Justice. The ICJ's unequivocal directives mandate Israel to ensure the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

AMP demands that the Biden Administration retract its statement regarding these allegations and immediately reinstate funding to UNRWA. This is not just a matter of urgency; it is an imperative step to prevent the further deterioration of an already dire humanitarian situation. It is also vital that funding is restored so that the United States does not act in contravention of the fundamental principles outlined by the international community.

In solidarity,
American Muslims for Palestine

Today's headlines

A day after ICJ ruling, U.S. and allies withdraw funding to UNRWA

Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau

27 januari 2024

At least five countries have pulled their funding from the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees over Israeli claims that staff members participated in the October 7 attack. Israel keeps killing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Biden cuts off life-saving aid to Palestinians based on Israeli allegations against UNRWA

The State Department has paused funding for UNRWA after the Israeli government accused 12 employees of being involved in the October 7 attack.

The State Department has paused funding for UNRWA after the Israeli government accused 12 employees of being involved in the October 7 attack.

Eyewitness to Columbia University skunk attack says campus activists fear for safety

Mondoweiss spoke with Columbia student Zainab Khan who witnessed the chemical attack on pro-Palestine protesters. "After the other day, I totally believe that an IOF soldier could physically harm one of our protesters or, God forbid, even kill them."

Biden is following Netanyahu off a cliff

In refusing to pressure Israel into a ceasefire while continuing to launch strikes on Yemen, Biden has shown utter contempt for all Arabs and Muslims, including his own Arab and Muslim American citizens who say they won't vote for him over Gaza.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #103

Displaced families heading south amid intensified hostilities in Khan Younis and following the expansion of Israeli evacuation orders to additional residential areas. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko, 26 January 2024

27 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 26 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction. Rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel resumed as well. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported.
• Between the afternoons of 25 and 26 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 183 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 377 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 26 January 2024, at least 26,083 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 64,487 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between the afternoons of 25 January and 26 January, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 26 January, 218 soldiers have been killed, and 1,269 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 25 January and 26 January, Israeli protestors blocked aid trucks from accessing Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. These trucks contained flour, food , hygeine items, tents and other non-food items. The trucks have not been able to access Gaza. The inability to deliver food, water and medical aid will exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation of those in need of assistance.
• In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe a declining trend in access to northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip. Reasons for this include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at checkpoints and heightened military activity in the Middle Area of the Gaza Strip. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also rife, not only hindering the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid but also posing serious risks to the lives of those involved in humanitarian efforts.
• As of 25 January, according to the WHO, 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are only partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. ‘Partial functionality’ indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is, ‘minimally functioning,’ as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and is experiencing intense fighting and is no longer able to receive patients or supplies. On 24 January, the MoH in Gaza reported that the Nasser Hospital was besieged, and that no one was able to enter or exit the facility due to ongoing bombardment in the vicinity. Israeli authorities refute this, claiming they are facilitating access. Health staff were reported to be digging graves on the hospital grounds due to the large numbers of anticipated fatalities and the need to manage burials. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis, which was previously designated as ‘minimally functioning,’ and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services, is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.
• On 26 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces are continuing to besiege their ambulance headquarters and the nearby Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, restricting all movement in the area. Israeli authorities refute this, claiming they are facilitating access. On the same day, PRCS reported damages to the hospital building and fragments of artillery shelling scattered inside it due to a reported attack in the vicinity of the hospital. On 24 January, the entrance of the PRCS headquarters was reportedly struck, killing at least three Palestinians: on 23 January, another Palestinian was reportedly killed at the entrance to the hospital due to shelling amid intense fighting around the hospital. The PRCS stated that they have been forced to ask IDPs taking shelter in the compound to donate blood, as staff are unable to access blood banks and treat the wounded.
• UNRWA reports that between 3 and 24 January, over 13,700 children were vaccinated against diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella, and others, as vaccines were supplied by UNICEF. However, only 4 out of 22 UNRWA health centres are still operational. Continued bombardment and access restrictions prevent the provision of life-saving health services.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 25 and 26 January:

• On 25 January, in the afternoon, 11 Palestinian IDP corpses who were thought to have been displaced from Jabalya, were reportedly recovered from under the rubble, in Al Maghazi, Deir al Balah. Another 26 IDPs still remain under the rubble.
• On 25 January, at about 20:00, three Palestinians, including one child, were reportedly killed, and several others were injured, after a residential building in Deir al Balah was struck.
• On 25 January, at about 20:00, 11 Palestinians, among them one journalist and children, were reportedly killed, after a residential building in Deir al Balah was struck.
• On 25 January, at about 12:000, two Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, in a strike in Al Bureij, Deir al Balah.
• On 25 January, at about 15:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, in a strike in Al-Dahra, Khan Younis.
• On 25 January, two Palestinian brothers, one of whom was a child, were shot and killed with live ammunition while evacuating from their home in Al Amal neighbourhood, western Khan Younis, following the evacuation order issued by the Israeli military. The child was reportedly shot three times while carrying a white flag, and his brother was shot while attempting to rescue him.
• On 25 January, at about 16:25 hours, Israeli forces reportedly detonated an entire residential neighbourhood in Al-Nimsawi area in Khan Younis. No casualties were reported.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 26 January, Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said that the people displaced who reached Rafah are resorting to living in the street, with sewage running in the streets and “conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order”. Overspilling of violence into Rafah would have severe implications to more than 1.3 million people, already crowded there.
• As of 26 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is where over one million people are squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Younis and the central area of the Gaza Strip in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
• On 23 and 25 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in a number of city blocks in Khan Younis. The affected area covers some four square kilometres. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 beds), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities. On 25 January, the Israeli military reissued the same evacuation orders via social media.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. The seven partially functional hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. Hospitals in Khan Younis are at risk of closure due to intense hostilities and the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.

Humanitarian Access

• Between 1 and 25 January, 51 movements of humanitarian aid were planned for the north of Wadi Gaza; however, only eight were facilitated while 29 were denied. Most of the missions that were facilitated were related to food distribution, while support to critical hospitals and WASH facilitates were largely denied. Two missions were partially facilitated (e.g., assessments only instead of a planned delivery of aid supplies) and another four were postponed (due to security and other competing medevac requirements). In an emerging pattern, an additional eight planned missions were initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded through the provision of unpassable routes, or the imposition of excessive delays at checkpoints or prior to departure.
• Between 1 and 25 January, humanitarian partners coordinated 87 humanitarian aid movements to the middle area, of which 63 per cent (55 missions) were facilitated and 25 per cent (22 missions) were denied. Due to increasing military activity, ten missions were postponed. This has been an emerging trend since 12 January where increased military activity is hindering humanitarian movements both to and from hospitals and humanitarian sites. The need to coordinate movements to south Wadi Gaza was also not a requirement prior to December.
• On 22 occasions, requests by the United Nations to the Israeli military to open checkpoints early to access north of Wadi Gaza were not facilitated. Given the heavy congestion around UN warehouses and the high levels of needs, early movements are essential for security, programmatic and protection reasons. The humanitarian community has consistently called for both main supply routes (MSRs) to be open in Gaza, and for checkpoints to open at 6:00 every day.
• In addition to widespread attacks on health care facilities and workers, 12 incidents of attacks against and access constraints on humanitarian Emergency Medical Teams were recorded between 7 November 2023 and 24 January 2024. These included ten instances of direct and indirect fire resulting in seven deaths and 12 injuries and two entry blockages. These teams have been undertaking life-saving surgeries in partially functioning over-congested hospitals across the Strip.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, 361 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across 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 these 361 fatalities, 351 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 26 January), 52 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, 4,358 Palestinians, including 657 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,223 have been injured by Israeli forces, 114 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 460 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (359 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents).
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacement occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, 495 Palestinians, including 246 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 26 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 26 January, Member States have disbursed $700.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and seven in the north.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza.
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
  • A significant decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals.
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases among IDP.
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled.
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys.
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams.
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges remain in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations data for people who have lost such documents and for newborns The application process with authorities in Gaza is dependent on criteria that many residents in Gaza cannot meet, currently, including proving families ties in the West Bank or employment in international non-governmental organizations. Partners are engaging in advocacy efforts with the authority to find ways to facilitate document re-issuance.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters between 15 and 21 January; while from 1 to 17 January, bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
  • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
  • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
  • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
  • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
  • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
• A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two.
• On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

Challenges and gaps

• Given stock and funding, nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Education

Needs

• More than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education since 7 October 2023. The students need to access education safely.
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. A total of 378 schools (76 per cent of the total school budlings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 117 schools that sustained major damages or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. The schools will need not be rebuilt or repaired and the needs of IDPs met.
• Education partners highlight the need for the protection of schools and education facilities from attacks, and to scale up advocacy, as well as prioritizing education as an essential programme, for the protection and well-being of children.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in shelters/DESs to start non-formal learning for children; provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is the identification and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devises for continuity of learning.

Response

• UNICEF with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Center are working on establishing Temporary Learning Centers (TLS) to start non-formal education activities with the IDPs children in shelters/DESs. The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities.
• Since October 2023, eleven partners have reached close to 122,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies, activities and awareness sessions in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners.
• The Education and the Shelter clusters are carrying out advocacy activities to highlight the devastating impacts of the current situation in Gaza on children and the inextricable links between shelter and schooling. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/education-day-2024-end-conflict-imperative-return-learning-palestine

Challenges and Gaps

• No activities have been undertaken in Gaza and North Gaza governorates, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges.
• As of 21 January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside.

Logistics

• On 10 January, Logistics Cluster and WFP conducted a logistics assessment of Al Arish seaport. The port had already received five vessels since the onset of the Gaza response, mostly for government-chartered vessels; the largest one to dock so far had a capacity of about 4,000 MT of space. More information on the assessment can be found here.
• The Logistics Cluster has been engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan regarding discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published their fourth bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have

26 januari 2024

Last November, Palestinians in Gaza and the U.S., together with our partners at the Center for Constitutional Rights, took a historic action: they filed a lawsuit against President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Austin seeking an emergency court order to halt U.S. support for Israel’s genocide.

The first hearing in the case has been scheduled for tomorrow Friday, January 26, in a Federal Court in Oakland. This is huge – Palestinians will have the opportunity to testify in front of a federal judge about the U.S.’s role in the slaughter of their people, and take a step forward in the long process of holding the Biden administration accountable for its role in Israel’s genocide. 

When our comrades take to the courtroom, we want to make sure it is impossible for those they are charging to ignore this case.

We want everyone who is implicated in this case to see this image on giant billboards:

Let’s make this case impossible to ignore.

Our mobilization on Friday will help push our pressure on Biden to the next level, and put complicit world leaders on notice everywhere. While we know the courts are just one tool within a larger struggle, this case and other legal actions help ensure there is no business as usual for the war criminals that claim to represent us.

Together, we can force those with power into action and prove that this is not going away. We will continue to make this genocide impossible for them to ignore.

ICJ Landmark decision underscores the acknowledgment of the harsh realities surrounding Israel's persistent genocidal attacks on Gaza

26 januari 2024

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) welcomes the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue provisional measures against Israel for its genocidal acts in Gaza. The case was brought by South Africa on December 29th, 2023, accusing Israel of "genocidal acts." 

This morning, the ICJ issued a decisive rebuke  of Israel's brutal aggression in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians. Although it's an interim judgment, the ICJ ruled that Israel must take immediate measures to halt all genocidal acts in Gaza. 

The court’s president, Judge Joan Donoghue, stated that Israel must abide by the Genocide Convention and “take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope” of the convention, in particular, the killing of civilians, inflicting bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza. 15 out of the 17 judges agreed that the numerous and highly inflammatory comments made by some senior Israeli officials, which could be interpreted as an endorsement of deliberately harming civilians, gave “plausibility” to South Africa’s allegations that Israel has genocidal intent against Palestinians in Gaza.

In summary, the provisional measures demand the following of Israel: 

1. Israel must halt attacks on Palestinians 
2. Halt incitement against Palestinians as a group
3. Ensure Humanitarian aid
4. Preserve evidence
5. Submit a response to the court within one month

The ICJ's omission of the term "ceasefire" in its ruling is not a loophole but a glaring call to action. The prescribed provisional measures are unequivocally contingent upon a cessation of hostilities/ceasefire. Israel's ruthless assault on Palestinian civilian life has resulted in the tragic murder of hundreds of thousands of lives within a mere 112 days, obliterating dozens of family bloodlines. The indiscriminate attacks persist unabated, inflicting untold suffering on the densely populated Gaza Strip, with no foreseeable conclusion in sight.

This ICJ victory is a critical milestone; its importance should not be undermined, and we believe it will eventually arrive at the proper conclusion that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It exposes the complicit position of the Biden administration, which chose from day one to act as an accomplice of Israel and defend its crimes by considering the case filed by South Africa "meritles”

AJP calls on the Biden administration to end its complicity in the war crimes Israel is committing, halt all weapons transfer to it, and immediately call for, facilitate, and impose an indefinite ceasefire on Israel. We must have a permanent end to all attacks on Palestinian life, including an end to the siege on Gaza and the occupation of Palestine. 

In solidarity,
Americans for Justice in Palestine Action

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #102

Children sitting outside their tent in Gaza, sharing biscuits delivered by the World Food Programme.  Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now filling the streets of southern Gaza, living in makeshift shelters in miserable conditions, with little access to food, water, medicines and appropriate shelter. Photo: WFP/Ali Jadallah, January 2024

26 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 25 January, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement and destruction. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported in proximity to Al Aqsa, Nasser, Al Amal and Al Kheir hospitals. There are reports of Palestinians trying to flee to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage. Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis was reportedly under heavy attack. 
• Between the afternoons of 24 and 25 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 200 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 370 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 25 January 2024, at least 25,900 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 64,110 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• Between the afternoons of 24 January and 25 January, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 25 January, 219 soldiers have been killed, and 1,250 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 24 January, a carpentry workshop inside the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC) was struck by shells, causing a fire and resulting in at least 13 Palestinians killed, according to UNRWA.  It is estimated that some 800 IDPs had been sheltering inside the workshop, with 43,000 people registered at the  centre. The area of the KYTC was also struck on 22 January, with six people killed by stray bullets and shrapnel falling outside the centre, as reported by UNRWA.  On 25 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, reported that UNRWA and WHO helped evacuate 45 patients, 15 in critical condition, from the KYTC to another health facility.  However, due to the intensity of fighting, the team was unable to evacuate all the injured. One patient reportedly died en route. The WHO Director-General called for the protection of all civilians, humanitarians and health workers, while reiterating his appeal for an immediate ceasefire. The Israeli military has announced that it is investigating the circumstances of the strike on the KYTC on 24 January and stated that it was not the result of an aerial or artillery strike from its forces. 
• As of 25 January, according to the WHO, there are 14 partially functional hospitals out of 36 in all of Gaza; seven in the north and seven in the south. ‘Partial functionality’ indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is ‘minimally functioning’, as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and is experiencing intense fighting, and is no longer able to receive patients or supplies.  On 24 January, the MoH in Gaza reported that the Nasser Hospital was besieged, and that no one was able to enter or exit the facility due to ongoing bombardment in the vicinity. Health staff were reported to be digging graves on the hospital grounds due to the large numbers of anticipated fatalities and the need to manage burials. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis, which previously designated as ‘minimally functioning’, and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.  
• On 24 January, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that for approximately two million people in Gaza, the Nasser Hospital and the European Gaza Hospital (EGH) are the only two referral hospitals that provide advanced surgical and medical emergency services with large bed capacities, which is not sufficient given the number of wounded and sick across Gaza. “The humanitarian imperative to protect Gaza’s health facilities is clear. If these medical facilities – especially Nasser and EGH – cease to function, the world will bear witness to untold thousands of preventable deaths given the size of the population, the current extreme living conditions, a collapsing health system, and the intensity of the fighting. The parties to the conflict and all who have influence upon them must take immediate steps to ensure the hospitals and the people within them are safe; to ensure that health personnel, wounded and sick people, and ambulances can safely access the hospital; and to facilitate the timely re-supply of items necessary to the functioning of the hospitals including medicine, fuel, food and water.”
• On 25 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces are continueing to besiege their ambulance headquarters and nearby Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, restricting all movement in the area. On 24 January, the entrance of the PRCS headquarters was reportedly struck, killing at least three Palestinians: on 23 January, another Palestiniana was reoportedly killed at the entrance to the hospital due to shelling amid intense fighting around the hospital. The PRCS stated that they have been forced to ask IDPs taking shelter in the compound to donate blood,  as  staff  are unable to access blood banks and treat the wounded. 
• On 25 January, at about 12:30, a group of Palestinians who were waiting at the Al Kuwait roundabout in Gaza city for the arrival of humanitarian relief were reportedly fired upon by the Israeli military, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. At least 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and around 150 others injured, many seriously, with casualties transferred to Al Shifaa and Al Ahli hospitals. The Israeli military has reportedly opened an investigation into the incident. 
• On 24 January, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported that thousands of civilians were forced to flee to Rafah, which is now hosting more than 50 per cent of Gaza’s population. Strikes have seriously endangered civilians, including those sheltering in health facilities. They stated that: “...the IDF continues to shell areas that it has unilaterally designated as ‘safe’ for evacuation, reinforcing that nowhere in Gaza is safe (for example, the Al Mawasi area in western Khan Younis)…and raises grave alarm of further escalation of the hostilities in Rafah which could have serious implications for over 1.3 million people who are reportedly sheltering in the governorate with the attendant risk that people who are essentially trapped in smaller and smaller areas may be forced out of Gaza.”
• On 23 January, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced that services in Gaza were gradually being restored. Initial reports indicate that the phonelines have not been restored to the middle and northern areas, and internet services have not been restored to the entire Gaza Strip since the start of the previous telecommunication blackout on 12 January. The communications shutdown continues to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis.
• On 24 January, UN partners, on the occasion of World Education Day, urged all actors to ensure that barriers to education are addressed, especially through the provision of adequate shelter that facilitates recovery, to enable the right to learn. Further, they stated: “learning has been devastated in the Gaza Strip since the hostilities began in October 2023. Over 625,000 students and 22,564 teachers have been deprived of education and a safe place for over three months, and thousands of learners and education personnel are amongst the more than 25,000 people who have reportedly been killed”. All UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip have closed–most turned into shelters–, depriving the 300,000 children who attended them of their education. UNRWA reports that at least 340 internally displaced people have been killed while seeking safety in UNRWA shelters.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 24 and 25 January:  

• On 24 January, at about 15:50, five Palestinians, including two children, were reportedly killed and dozens were injured, after residential buildings in Rafah were struck.
• On 25 January, at about 21:00, at least ten Palestinians, including four children, were reportedly killed and tens of others were injured after a residential square was struck in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, central Gaza. 

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• According to a statement released by OHCHR on 24 January, the intensification of the operation in Khan Younis raises serious concerns that civilians will be forced to leave their homes and shelters, including those who had previously been displaced from northern Gaza to Khan Younis.  Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now filling the streets of Khan Younis and Rafah, and are living in makeshift shelters in miserable conditions, with little or no access to food, water, medicines and appropriate shelter, and many are facing the risk of further displacement.
• As of 22 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to the continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Younis and the central area of the Gaza Strip in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
• On 23 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in a number of city blocks in Khan Younis. The affected area covers some four square kilometres. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 bed capacity), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities.  On 25 January, the Israeli military reissued the same evacuation orders via social media.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. The seven partially functional hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel, with hospitals in Khan Younis at risk of closure due to intense hostilities and the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• A UNOSAT satellite imagery analysis released in mid-January shows that 87 per cent of WASH facilities in Gaza governorate were either destroyed or sustained some level of damage. Similarly, 82 per cent of WASH facilities in northern Gaza, 54 per cent in Deir al Balah, 46 per cent in Khan Younis and some eight per cent in Rafah governorates are either destroyed or sustained varying levels of damage. With the intensifying conflict in Deir al Balah and especially Khan Younis since 22 January, it is likely that the remaining frail infrastructure is at risk of further damage and destruction. At the same time, the absence of visible damage to WASH infrastructure does not guarantee functionality. Other enabling tools, such as generators, fuel, and pumps are imperative for the functionality of water and sanitation infrastructure.
• The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is a tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 158,000 cases of diarrhea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Food Insecurity

• Since the beginning of the month and as of 22 January, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported having reached nearly 930,000 affected people with in-kind and general food assistance across the Gaza Strip, including more than 560,000 IDPs in makeshift camps, UNRWA shelters and IDPs with host families, with food parcels. In addition, WFP distributed canned meat, biscuits, and wheat flour to 13,250 people in the northern governorates of Gaza. Starting in January, WFP resumed subsidized bread distribution, reaching over 560,000 people in Gaza and distributed hot meals to 102,762 people.
• Humanitarian partners report that, as of 17 January, only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are functioning north of Wadi Gaza. WFP has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), by providing wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price. Before 7 October, a total of 97 bakeries were operative overall in the Gaza Strip, in particular: 25 in Deir al Balah, 20 in Khan Younis, 19 in Rafah, 8 in northern Gaza and 25 in Gaza city.

Humanitarian Access

• On 22 January, WHO and partners completed a high-risk mission to resupply fuel to the Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. According to WHO, functionality has improved since their last visit ten days previously. There are 120 health and care workers, and 300 patients. The hospital conducts between five and ten surgeries daily, mainly trauma cases that require immediate care. Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remain operational, along with emergency care, a surgical unit, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit. There are plans to reopen a 9-bed Intensive Care Unit over the coming days. A significant decrease in the number of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, from 40,000 to 10,000, was also observed. 
• The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors. For more information, see the Humanitarian Access Snapshot. 

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. 
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 25 January, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, aged 27, in Bir al Basha village in Jenin. Israeli forces raided the village and surrounded the man’s house, alleging that he and another person were wanted. The forces shot and killed one of them, who reportedly shot at the forces, and arrested the other man. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, 361 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across 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 these 361 fatalities, 351 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 25 January), 52 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, 4,354 Palestinians, including 657 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,219 have been injured by Israeli forces, 114 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 457 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (356 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacement occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, 495 Palestinians, including 246 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain. 
• A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 25 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 25 January, Member States have disbursed $698.6 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. 
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million. 

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and seven in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following: 
  • A significant decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted. 
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases among IDP. 
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.  

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.    
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.  
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.  
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily. 

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled. 
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention. 

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum: 
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters. 
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys. 
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams. 
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation. 

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges remain in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations data for people who have lost such documents and for newborns The application process with authorities in Gaza is dependent on criteria that many residents in Gaza cannot meet, currently, including proving families ties in the West Bank or employment in international non-governmental organizations. Partners are engaging in advocacy efforts with the authority to find ways to facilitate document re-issuance.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats. 

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza. 
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular: 
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families. 
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals. 
• Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters between 15 and 21 January; while from 1 to 17 January, bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah. 

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation. 
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:   
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
  • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
  • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
  • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
  • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
  • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
• A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two. 
• On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

26 januari 2024

The Rights Forum verwelkomt de uitspraak die het Internationaal Gerechtshof vandaag deed in de genocide-zaak van Zuid-Afrika tegen Israël. Het recht heeft gesproken, de uitspraak is bindend, en zal ook door Nederland nageleefd en bevorderd moeten worden. Een belangrijke overwinning en een historische eerste stap naar rechtvaardigheid voor de Palestijnen. 
 
De uitspraak
Het Hof heeft in zijn voorlopige uitspraak het risico op genocide in Gaza erkend, en Israël opgeroepen er alles aan te doen om (verdere) schendingen van de Genocide Conventie te voorkomen. Onder de voorlopige maatregelen die het Gerechtshof Israël heeft opgelegd zijn:

• het voorkomen en bestraffen van het oproepen en aanzetten tot geweld;
• het toelaten van voldoende humanitaire hulp in Gaza;
• en het bewaren van bewijs van eventuele misdaden en daarover binnen een maand verslag uitbrengen.

Betogers bekijken een livestream van de uitspraak van het Internationaal Gerechtshof voor het Vredespaleis in Den Haag, 26 januari 2024. 

Wat nu? 
Wij zullen Nederland houden aan zijn plicht om bij te dragen aan de uitvoering van de aan Israël opgelegde maatregelen. De onvoorwaardelijke steun van Nederland aan Israël en het willoos volgen van de Verenigde State mogen en kunnen niet langer voortduren. Er moet een eind komen aan de dubbele standaard die het Nederlandse Israël/Palestina-beleid kenmerkt. Het internationaal recht moet leidend zijn in onze relatie met deze landen. 
 
Het is daarnaast ondenkbaar dat Nederland doorgaat met de levering van onderdelen voor de F-35-gevechtsvliegtuigen. Daarmee zouden we onze medeplichtigheid willens en wetens voortzetten. 
 
Zuid-Afrika neemt verantwoordelijkheid, nu wij nog
Zuid-Afrika, het land dat zelf is ontsnapt uit de wurggreep van apartheid en kolonialisme, heeft zijn verantwoordelijkheid genomen. Helaas ontbreekt het Nederland aan de moed en inspanning die Zuid-Afrika heeft getoond bij het hooghouden van de internationale rechtsorde. De massaslachting in Gaza en Israël, waar Nederland politieke en militaire steun aan heeft verleend, zal ons nog decennia blijven achtervolgen. 
   

Wij strijden tegen oorlogsmisdaden, annexatie, bezetting en onderdrukking.

Helpt u mee?

Regering gewaarschuwd: medeplichtigheid aan Gaza-horror leidt tot aangifte

Dat schrijft de coalitie in een brief die afgelopen maandag werd bezorgd bij demissionair premier Mark Rutte (VVD) en minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA). Een vergelijkbare brief werd gestuurd aan de regeringen van Frankrijk, Duitsland en Oostenrijk.

Medeplichtigheid leidt tot aangifte
In de brief zet de coalitie uiteen dat de Israëlische misdrijven zich na 7 oktober 2023 hebben voorgedaan, en dat politici en ambtenaren daarvan op de hoogte waren. Ook wisten zij al snel na 7 oktober dat die misdrijven zich zouden blijven herhalen. Wie Israël onder die omstandigheden steun verleent, maakt zich medeplichtig, stelt de coalitie.

De coalitie draagt de regering op haar Gaza-politiek onmiddellijk in overeenstemming te brengen met het internationaal recht en humanitaire kernbeginselen. De regering mag op geen enkele wijze bijdragen, steun verlenen of helpen bij het plegen van internationale misdrijven.

Als de regering geen gehoor geeft aan de oproep, zal de coalitie aangifte doen.

Dubbele standaard blijft debat over Israël en Palestina domineren

Dubbele standaard
In de kern typeerde het debat de dubbele standaard die de regering hanteert als het om Israël gaat. De minister pretendeerde handhaving van het internationaal recht te steunen, benoemde de illegaliteit van de nederzettingen en riep Israël op ‘proportioneel’ op te treden in Gaza, maar in de praktijk gebeurt het tegendeel.

Nederland geeft Israël carte blanche door de uitspraak van het Internationaal Gerechtshof niet op voorhand te respecteren, door handel met nederzettingen toe te blijven staan, en door Israël wapentuig te leveren voor zijn bombardementen op Gaza. De regering maakt Nederland op deze manier medeplichtig aan ernstige schendingen van het internationaal recht.

Met deze hypocriete houding ondergraaft de regering niet alleen Nederlands reputatie, maar ook de internationale rechtsorde. Bovendien – en dat is de belangrijkste conclusie – draagt zij met deze principeloze opstelling bij aan de verwoesting van de levens van miljoenen Palestijnen..

26 januari 2024

Today, the International Court of Justice overwhelmingly ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. South Africa's case will proceed.

At this crucial moment in history, we are seeing vastly documented evidence that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, read out in court on the world stage. Nobody can deny that this is a genocide.

However, for Palestinians in Gaza fighting to survive by the minute, justice cannot wait.

It's up to us, the people, to protest and disrupt to fight for a PERMANENT CEASEFIRE NOW and an end to Israel's U.S.-backed genocide paid for with our tax dollars. Especially as Biden today gets taken to federal court for his complicity in genocide.

SHARE NEW GENOCIDE JOE GRAPHICS

YOUR IMPACT

Protest at Biden's "morale boosting" staff party last night.

• This week, the Supreme Court threw out the Jewish National Fund’s bogus lawsuit against USCPR, which attempted to support our human rights advocacy. Thank you for your steadfast support as we resisted lawfare. Our movement for Palestinian liberation is strong and we will never be silenced!
• Your support helped us launch the Quit Genocide campaign with Adalah Justice Project, and last night, local demonstrators with DMV Palestinian Youth Movement and Occupation Free DC successfully shamed Butcher Biden staffers walking in to a “morale boosting” party. They shouted, “Quit your racist jobs now!”

WHAT TO DO NEXT

 Onward to liberation,

Today's headlines

‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ Day 112: In a historic moment, ICJ moves forward with genocide case against Israel

Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau

Today's headlines

Gaza’s economy has been erased. Famine and black markets are all that remain.

Tareq S. Hajjaj

26 januari 2024

While the court stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, Israel is ordered to allow aid into Gaza, punish incitement to genocide, and take more protective measures for civilians – even as the situation on the ground remains cataclysmic.

Read more

ICJ orders Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and punish calls for incitement

In a historic ruling against Israel for the crime of genocide, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to immediately prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and punish calls for incitement. The case against Israel will now move forward.

Read more

Palestinians are taking the Biden administration to court this week

The week, a federal court in Oakland will begin hearing arguments in a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of failing to prevent a genocide in Gaza. The case could bring U.S. support for the Israeli assault on Gaza to a halt.

Read more

What to look for in the ICJ’s ‘provisional measures’ ruling on genocide in Gaza

Do not judge the International Court of Justice solely by whether it calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Much more important is whether it finds South Africa's genocide allegations deserve a full hearing.

Read more

Hospitals under siege, UNRWA shelter bombed in southern Gaza

Israeli forces bomb Gaza's perimeter to prepare for a “buffer zone” as medical staff in Nasser Hospital dig graves in anticipation of a large number of fatalities due to Israel's ongoing siege on the hospital.

25 januari 2024

Even in areas like Rafah, where the Israeli ground invasion has not reached, Gaza’s society has been decimated. Its economy no longer exists and basic goods can only be found on the black market where they cost ten times their prewar price.

Read more

The Hypocrisy Oath: The double standards of American health institutions on Gaza

Open Letter

American health institutions were quick to condemn the October 7 attacks, but those same institutions remain silent over Israel’s genocide in Gaza after 105 days.

Palestinian journalists are stopping their reporting for ‘a world that doesn’t know the meaning of humanity’

As Israel has murdered over 118 journalists during its genocidal war on Gaza, many journalists have been forced to stop reporting on the unfolding horror for fear of being deliberately targeted.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #101

Smoke seen in a picture taken from the office of the director of Nasser hospital. This is one of three hospitals in Khan Younis, around which heavy fighting has taken place in recent days. Medical teams have reportedly been unable to transfer serious injuries from the hospital to nearby facilities. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko, 21 January 2024

25 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 23 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement, as well as destruction. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with Israeli forces reported to having surrounded and launched a large-scale operation in the city. Heavy fighting is reported in proximity to hospitals in Khan Younis, including Al Aqsa, Nasser and Al Amal, with reports of Palestinians trying to flee to the southern town of Rafah. Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis was reportedly under heavy attack.
• Between the afternoons of 23 and 24 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 210 Palestinians were killed, and 386 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 23 January 2024, at least 25,700 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 63,740 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between the afternoons of 23 January and 24 January, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. As of 24 January, 219 soldiers have been killed, and 1,250 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 24 January, a carpentry workshop located inside the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC) was hit by two tank shells, causing a fire inside the workshop, according to UNRWA. The number of casualties is yet to be confirmed. It is estimated that some 800 IDPs had been sheltering inside the workshop, while tens of thousands of people are estimated to be sheltering in the rest of the Training Centre. Despite the lack of safe passage, IDPs are reportedly fleeing the KYTC towards the coastal road towards Deir al Balah or Rafah. The area of KYTC was also struck on 22 January. That day, six people were killed and 16 were injured, as reported by UNRWA, because of stray bullets and shrapnel falling in the adjacent area outside KYTC.
• On 24 January, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported that thousands of civilians were forced to flee to Rafah, which is now hosting more than 50 per cent of Gaza’s population. Strikes have seriously endangered civilians, including those sheltering in health facilities. They stated that: “...the IDF continues to shell areas that it has unilaterally designated as ‘safe’ for evacuation, reinforcing that nowhere in Gaza is safe (for example, the Al Mawasi area in western Khan Younis)…and raises grave alarm of further escalation of the hostilities in Rafah which could have serious implications for over 1.3 million people who are reportedly sheltering in the governorate with the attendant risk that people who are essentially trapped in smaller and smaller areas may be forced out of Gaza.”
• On 24 January, the MoH in Gaza continued to report on the besieging of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. No one can enter or exit the facility due to ongoing bombardments in the vicinity, including 400 dialysis patients in need of support. Health staff are reported to be digging graves on hospital grounds due to the large numbers of fatalities anticipated and the need to manage burials.
• On 24 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that there are now 14 partially functional hospitals; seven in the north and seven in the south. In addition, two hospitals are providing minimal services only for those within the compounds. The two minimally functioning ones, Al Kheir (which the Israeli military is currently present) and Nasser (surrounded by the Israeli military and heavy fighting) are not able to receive patients or supplies.
• On 24 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces continued to siege their ambulance headquarters and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, restricting all movement in the area. Furthermore, the entrance of the PRCS headquarters was reportedly struck, killing at least three Palestinians and injuring two others. PRCS stated that they have been forced to ask IDPs to donate blood as they are unable to access blood banks and treat the wounded. The medical teams are reportedly unable to transfer serious injuries from Nasser Hospital to nearby health facilities. On 23 January, the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital, in Khan Younis, was reportedly shelled, amid intense fighting around the hospital; one Palestinian was reportedly killed at the entrance of Al Amal Hospital.
• On 23 January, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced that services in Gaza are gradually being restored. Initial reports indicate that the phonelines have not been restored to the middle and northern areas, and internet services have not been restored to the entire Gaza Strip since the start of the previous telecommunication blackout on 12 January. The communications shutdown continues to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis.
• On 24 January, Israeli protesters attempted to block the entry of humanitarian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, holding up the trucks for several hours. As a result, only nine trucks were able to enter, and the rest (114) were forced to reroute to Egypt and the Rafah crossing. On the same day, 153 truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.
• On 24 January, UN partners, on the occasion of World Education Day, urged all actors to ensure that barriers to education are addressed, especially through the provision of adequate shelter that facilitates recovery, to enable the right to learn. Further, they stated: “learning has been devastated in the Gaza Strip since the hostilities began in October 2023. Over 625,000 students and 22,564 teachers have been deprived of education and a safe place for over three months, and thousands of learners and education personnel are amongst the more than 25,000 people who have reportedly been killed”. All UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip have closed–most turned into shelters–, depriving the 300,000 children who attended them of their education. UNRWA reports that at least 340 internally displaced people have been killed while seeking safety in UNRWA shelters.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 23 and 24 January:

• On 22 January, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed after an explosion was reported at Al Mawasi School, Al Mawasi area.
• On 22 January, during the night, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 15 others were injured, after a residential building was struck in Jabalya city, North Gaza.
• On 23 January, at about 16:50, four displaced Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others were injured, including children, after a residential building was struck in Al Hassanynah area, Deir al Balah.
• On 23 January, at about 12:50, four Palestinians were reportedly killed, after a car was hit in Rafah, southern Gaza.
• On 23 January, at about 14:00, four Palestinians, including one child, were killed as reportedly a group of people was struck in Al Mawasi area.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• According to a statement released by OHCHR on 24 January, the intensification of the operation in Khan Younis raises serious concerns that civilians will be forced to leave their homes and shelters, including those who had previously been displaced from northern Gaza to Khan Younis. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are now filling the streets of Khan Younis and Rafah, and are living in makeshift shelters in miserable conditions, with little or no access to food, water, medicines and appropriate shelter, and many are facing the risk of further displacement.
• As of 20 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to the continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders.
• On 23 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in a number of city blocks in Khan Younis. The affected area covers some four square kilometres. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 bed capacity), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. As of 24 January, only 14 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. Over 90 health facilities and over 80 ambulances have been impacted since the escalation of hostilities. Other factors include power supply disruptions and fuel shortages. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• The 14 hospitals that are still partially functional include seven in the south and seven in the north. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water.
• The seven partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• A UNOSAT satellite imagery analysis released in mid-January shows that 87 per cent of WASH facilities in Gaza governorate were either destroyed or sustained some level of damage. Similarly, 82 per cent of WASH facilities in northern Gaza, 54 per cent in Deir al Balah, 46 per cent in Khan Younis and some eight per cent in Rafah governorates are either destroyed or sustained varying levels of damage. With the intensifying conflict in Deir al Balah and especially Khan Younis since 22 January, it is likely that the remaining frail infrastructure is at risk of further damage and destruction. At the same time, the absence of visible damage to WASH infrastructure does not guarantee functionality. Other enabling tools, such as generators, fuel, and pumps are imperative for the functionality of water and sanitation infrastructure.
• The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is a tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 158,000 cases of diarrhea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Food Insecurity

• Since the beginning of the month and as of 22 January, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported having reached nearly 930,000 affected people with in-kind and general food assistance across the Gaza Strip, including more than 560,000 IDPs in makeshift camps, UNRWA shelters and IDPs with host families, with food parcels. In addition, WFP distributed canned meat, biscuits, and wheat flour to 13,250 people in the northern governorates of Gaza. Starting in January, WFP resumed subsidized bread distribution, reaching over 560,000 people in Gaza and distributed hot meals to 102,762 people.
• Humanitarian partners report that, as of 17 January, only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are functioning north of Wadi Gaza. WFP has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), by providing wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price. Before 7 October, a total of 97 bakeries were operative overall in the Gaza Strip, in particular: 25 in Deir al Balah, 20 in Khan Younis, 19 in Rafah, 8 in northern Gaza and 25 in Gaza city.

Humanitarian Access

• On 22 January, WHO and partners completed a high-risk mission to resupply fuel to the Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. According to WHO, functionality has improved since their last visit ten days previously. There are 120 health and care workers, and 300 patients. The hospital conducts between five and ten surgeries daily, mainly trauma cases that require immediate care. Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remain operational, along with emergency care, a surgical unit, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit. There are plans to reopen a 9-bed Intensive Care Unit over the coming days. A significant decrease in the number of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, from 40,000 to 10,000, was also observed.
• The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors. For more information, see the Humanitarian Access Snapshot.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 360 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across 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 these 360 fatalities, 350 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 24 January), 51 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 4,353 Palestinians, including 657 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,218 have been injured by Israeli forces, 114 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 456 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (355 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 493 Palestinians, including 244 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• On 23 January, the Israeli authorities demolished on punitive grounds a house in ‘Urif village in Nablus, displacing five people, including one child. The house belonged to a Palestinian currently in prison convicted of being involved in shooting and killing four Israeli settlers on Road 60 near Eli settlement in Nablus on 20 June 2023. A total of 22 homes have been demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, have been displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 24 January 2024, 743 Palestinians, including 311 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 116 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 82 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 22 January, Member States have disbursed $697.6 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and seven in the north.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza.
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
  • A significant decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals.
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases among IDP.
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern, as tens of thousands of tons of uncollected public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged, exacerbating environmental and health concerns.

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the municipal wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs are settled.
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys.
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams.
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges remain in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations data for people who have lost such documents and for newborns The application process with authorities in Gaza is dependent on criteria that many residents in Gaza cannot meet, currently, including proving families ties in the West Bank or employment in international non-governmental organizations. Partners are engaging in advocacy efforts with the authority to find ways to facilitate document re-issuance.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years to remove it, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis about 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah. Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
    • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
    • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
    • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
    • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
    • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
  • A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two.
• On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

Challenges and gaps

• Given stock and funding, nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Education

Needs

• More than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education since 7 October 2023. The students need to access education safely.
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. A total of 378 schools (76 per cent of the total school budlings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 117 schools that sustained major damages or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. The schools will need not be rebuilt or repaired and the needs of IDPs met.
• Education partners highlight the need for the protection of schools and education facilities from attacks, and to scale up advocacy, as well as prioritizing education as an essential programme, for the protection and well-being of children.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishin

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Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #100

Women and children squeezing into a limited space at an overcrowded UNRWA facility in Khan Younis, amid nearby gunfire and shelling. Photo by UNRWA/Hussein Owda, 23 January 2024

24 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 23 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement, as well as destruction. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. Hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with Israeli forces reported to having surrounded and launched a large-scale operation in the city. Heavy fighting is reported in proximity to hospitals in Khan Younis, including Al Aqsa, Nasser and Al Amal, with reports of Palestinians trying to flee to the southern town of Rafah.
• Between the afternoons of 22 and 23 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 195 Palestinians were killed, and 354 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 23 January 2024, at least 25,490 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 63,354 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• On 23 January, the UN Secretary-General, in remarks made to the Security Council on the Situation in the Middle East,  stated: “The past 100 days have been heartbreaking and catastrophic for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. More than 25,000 people, mainly women and children, have reportedly been killed in operations launched by Israeli forces.  More than 60,000 others have been reportedly injured. In recent days, the military offensive has intensified in Khan Yunis with many additional causalities. The entire population of Gaza is enduring destruction at a scale and speed without parallel in recent history. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
• Between the afternoons of 22 January and 23 January, 21 soldiers were killed in a single incident in southern Gaza, the highest military toll on a single day since the start of the ground operation. As of 23 January, 219 soldiers have been killed, and 1,232 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• On 23 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in a number of city blocks in Khan Younis. The affected area covers some four  square kilometres. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 bed capacity), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs  are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs  seeking shelter in the other health facilities. 
• On 22 January, WHO and partners completed a high-risk mission to resupply fuel to the Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. According to WHO, functionality has improved since their last visit ten days previously. There are 120 health and care workers, and 300 patients. The hospital conducts between five and ten surgeries daily, mainly trauma cases that require immediate care. Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiological facilities remain operational, along with emergency care, a surgical unit, post-operative care, and a dialysis unit. There are plans to reopen a 9-bed Intensive Care Unit over the coming days. A significant decrease in the number of displaced people sheltering in the hospital, from 40, 000 to 10, 000, was also observed.
• On 22 January, Israeli Forces reportedly raided Al Kheir Hospital in western Khan Younis, ordering women and children to evacuate towards Rafah, southern Gaza and reportedly arresting medical staff.  The World Health Organization expressed its concern that the facility was facing military incursions and that several health workers had been detained. Communication with the hospital is no longer possible. 
• Due to evacuation orders in neighbourhoods surrounding Nasser Hospital -and continuous hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital, the Ministry of Health reports that large numbers of wounded people are situated on the hospital grounds. An international emergency medical team deployed at the hospital reports that no one can enter or exit the facility due to ongoing bombardments in the vicinity. Health staff are reported to be digging graves on hospital grounds due to the large numbers of fatalities anticipated and the need to manage burials. The WHO  reiterated its call “for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, active protection of civilians and health care, and sustained access for the delivery of critical aid across the Strip.
• On 22 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces had surrounded their ambulance headquarters in Khan Younis,; restricting ambulances from providing support in the area. Reportedly, Israeli forces struck the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and the ambulance headquarters, as intense fighting continued in the area, resulting in  dozens of casualties. Patients, wounded people, and an estimated 13,000 displaced people, who have taken shelter in Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters were unable to leave. According to humanitarian partners on the ground, people in the vicinity of Al Kheir area east of Al Mawasi have lost access to the health facility and have no alternatives for medical assistance in the area. 
• On 23 January, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini reported that one of  the the largest UNRWA shelters, the Khan Younis Training Centre, had been struck during military operations the previous day, killing at least six IDPs. The centre holds 40,000 IDPs;also,  140 births have been recorded there since the war began. The Commissioner -General called on parties to, “take every precaution to minimize harm and protect civilians, medical facilities and personnel and UN premises, in accordance with international law.” 
• On 22 January, at about 18:00, the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced that services in Gaza had been lost again due to damage caused by Israeli military operations. Internet services have not been restored since the previous telecommunication blackout from 12 to 19 January.   

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 20 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to the continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. 
• According to a  report by UN Women, “displacement exacerbates people’s vulnerability, erodes their coping mechanisms, and impacts them differently based on gender. According to media reports, while on the displacement journey, women  faced risks of arbitrary detention and harassment. For families with elderly relatives or family members with disabilities who simply cannot move, it is women who disproportionately stay behind as caregivers.” UNRWA reports that overall, in Gaza there are over 690,000 menstruating women and adolescent girls who require menstrual hygiene products, in addition to access to clean water, toilets and privacy, but the demand for hygiene kits remains unmet, as the agency’s stocks have either run out or are at critically low levels. This scarcity puts women and girls at risk of reproductive and urinary tract infections and protection-related risks.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. Only 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. More than 90 health facilities and more than 80 ambulances have been impacted since the start of the conflict, due to hostilities, power supply disruptions, and fuel shortages, among other factors. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• The 16 hospitals that are still partially functional include nine in the south and seven in the north. This is an increase of one more hospital in the north – Kamal Adwan – which has been functioning again to some degree since mid-January. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water.
• The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby.
• Communicable diseases are on the rise in Gaza with more than 223,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, or 10 per cent of the population; more than 158,000 cases of diarrohea (of which 53 per cent in children under five), and more than 7,500 cases of acute jaundice (several of these acute cases have been confirmed as Hepatitis A). The situation for people with long-term medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders, will be further aggravated by the impact of the conflict and displacement.
• Reporting that cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in Gaza through test kits supplied by WHO, the Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that, “inhumane living conditions –- barely any clean water, clean toilets, and possibility to keep the surroundings clean – will enable Hepatitis A to spread further ... The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too. We will continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 158,000 cases of diarrhea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhoea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Food Insecurity

• Since the beginning of the month and as of 22 January, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported having reached nearly 930,000 affected people with in-kind and general food assistance across the Gaza Strip, including more than 560,000 IDPs in makeshift camps, UNRWA shelters and IDPs with host families, with food parcels. In addition, WFP distributed canned meat, biscuits, and wheat flour to 13,250 people in the northern governorates of Gaza. Starting in January, WFP resumed subsidized bread distribution, reaching over 560,000 people in Gaza and distributed hot meals to 102,762 people.
• Humanitarian partners report that, as of 17 January, only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are functioning north of Wadi Gaza. WFP has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), by providing wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price. Before 7 October, a total of 97 bakeries were operative overall in the Gaza Strip, in particular: 25 in Deir al Balah, 20 in Khan Younis, 19 in Rafah, 8 in North Gaza and 25 in Gaza city.

Humanitarian Access

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. This is a significant increase in denials compared with the previous months; between October and December 2023, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.
• The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors. For more information, see the Humanitarian Access Snapshot.  

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October. 
• The Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 22 January, Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian boy in clashes that erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians during an Israeli raid in ‘Arraba village in Jenin. During the clashes, Palestinians used explosive devices against Israeli forces, and Israeli forces   were shooting with live ammunition. Medical sources reported that Israeli forces impeded ambulance access to the injured boy for about 20 minutes. 
• On 23 January, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man at the Israeli-controlled checkpoint of Enav in Tulkarm. The Palestinian was reportedly shot when he attempted to open fire at Israeli forces at the checkpoint while on his motorbike. His body is being held by the Israeli authorities, 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 360 Palestinians have been killed, including 92 children, across 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 these 360 fatalities, 350 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 23 January), 51 Palestinians, including at least 11 children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 4,348 Palestinians, including 656 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,213 have been injured by Israeli forces, 114 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 452 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (351 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (56 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• On 23 January, the Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian house in As Seefer community south of Yatta village in Hebron, due to the lack of an Israeli-issued building permit, displacing a family of nine people, including five children. Two more houses were demolished by their owners on the same grounds on 22 and 21 January, in the East Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Ras al ‘Amud and Al ‘Isawiya, respectively. The former has not yet been inhabited and the latter led to displacement of five people. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 493 Palestinians, including 244 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain. Also due to the lack of permits, the Israeli authorities sealed an artesian well with concrete in Ras ‘Atiya village in Qalqiliya on 23 January. The well serves as a main irrigation source for agriculture, affecting hundreds of Palestinians in the village and the nearby communities.
• A total of 21 homes have been demolished and 100 Palestinians, including 44 children, have been displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 23 January 2024, 739 Palestinians, including 309 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 115 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 81 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 22 January, Member States have disbursed $693.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested.
• Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund. A private foundation in Australia has donated $2.2 million. Since 7 October, the Humanitarian Fund has disbursed about $55 million.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and seven in the north.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza.
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
  • A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals.
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases.
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al-Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern as tens of thousands of tons of unaddressed public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged. This significant buildup contributes to the already critical situation, exacerbating environmental and health concerns in Gaza.

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the Municipal Wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza Strip, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs remain settled.
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys.
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams.
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations date for the people who have lost such documents or for newborns who are both at risk of remaining without any formal ID.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years for its removal with Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis around 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah. Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a huge concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
    • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
    • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
    • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
    • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
    • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
  • A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two.
  • On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

23 januari 2024

23 januari 2024

This Holocaust Remembrance Day, never again is now.

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Today's headlines

Israeli forces storm Al-Khair Hospital, bomb Palestinians sheltering in tents in Khan Younis

Mustafa Abu Sneineh

As Israel continues to attack the Palestinian health infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military announced 21 soldiers were killed in fighting when resistance forces struck a building being wired for detonation by Israeli forces.

SEIU calls for ceasefire in Gaza

The Service Employees International Union, which represents almost 2 million workers, has become the largest U.S. union to back a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #99

On 22 January, hostilities further escalated in Khan Younis. A strike reportedly hit near Al Amal hospital, but the intensity of hostilities in the vicinity prevented patients, wounded people and an estimated 13,000 displaced people taking refuge in the hospital from leaving. People outside Al Amal hospital, Khan Younis. Photo by OCHA, 19 January 2024

23 januari 2024

Key points

An updated section on humanitarian needs and responses during 14-21 January is included further down.

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 22 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement, as well as destruction. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 21 and 22 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 190 Palestinians were killed, and another 340 people were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 22 January 2024, at least 25,295 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 63,000 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.
• Between 21 January and 22 January, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. Since the start of the ground operation and as of 22 January, 196 soldiers have been killed, and 1,222 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• Since the evening of 19 January, mobile phone communication – which had been down since 12 January – was gradually restored to most of Gaza, with the exception of some services in the north. However, internet remains down across the whole of Gaza. The blackout of telecommunications restricts people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
• On 22 January, ground operations, fighting and attacks intensified in the Khan Younis area, destroying several residential houses, buildings, towers and residential squares, reportedly killing at least 45 Palestinians, including IDPs, women and children.
• On 22 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces had surrounded their ambulance headquarters in Khan Younis; restricting ambulances from providing support in the area. Reportedly, Israeli forces struck the vicinity of Al Amal hospital and the ambulance headquarters, as intense fighting continued in the area, including dozens of casualties. Patients, wounded people and an estimated 13,000 displaced people who have taken shelter in Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters were unable to leave. According to humanitarian partners on the ground, people in the vicinity and Al Kheir area east of Al Mawasi have lost access to the health facility and have no alternatives for medical assistance in the area.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that attacks on health care continue to rise. In the Gaza Strip, more than 300 attacks have been verified since the beginning of the hostilities on 7 October. In the West Bank too, WHO reports a significant rise in attacks against health care, with over 330 attacks reported since 7 October.
• Humanitarian health partners report on a severe shortage of medical staff in some of the hospitals in Gaza. Only 12 medical doctors are still working at Al Aqsa hospital, which is about ten per cent of the doctors who operated before the start of the hostilities. Nasser Hospital has experienced a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, as over 50 per cent of staff have left and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home.
• Beyond telecommunication shutdowns, the capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors. For more information, see the Humanitarian Access Snapshot.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 21 and 22 January:
  • On 22 January, four Palestinians were reportedly struck and killed as they were trying to recover corpses, following heavy shelling in the area in Al Balad area in Khan Younis.
  • On 21 January, two Palestinians were reported to have bled to death following previous strikes and were left for days in the street.
  • On 22 January, at about 8:30, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed when Al Mawasi School was hit in western Khan Younis.
  • On 21 January, at about 16:00, three women were reportedly killed by artillery shells which hit a house in Al Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza city.
  • On 21 January, at about 16:30, four Palestinians were reportedly killed, including one woman and one child, in western An Nuseirat Camp, Deir Al Balah.
  • On 21 January, at about 19:45, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, including one woman and two children, when a residential building housing IDPs was struck in An Nuseirat Camp, Deir Al Balah.
• On 22 January, at about 10:30 hours, Israeli forces reportedly exhumed graves in the Khan Younis cemetery, southern Gaza.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 20 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to the continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders.
• According to a new report by UN Women, “displacement exacerbates people’s vulnerability, erodes their coping mechanisms, and impacts them differently based on gender. Since the ground operation started in Gaza, it has been reported that men faced arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. According to media reports, while on the displacement journey, women also faced risks of arbitrary detention and harassment. For families with elderly relatives or family members with disabilities who simply cannot move, it is women who disproportionately stay behind as caregivers.”

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. Only 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. More than 90 health facilities and more than 80 ambulances have been affected since the start of the hostilities in October, due to the impact of hostilities, disruption to power supply, fuel shortages and other factors. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• The 16 hospitals that are still partially functional include nine in the south and seven in the north. This is an increase of one more hospital in the north – Kamal Adwan – which has been functioning again to some degree since mid-January. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water.
• The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby.
• On 22 January, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the reports of “continuous fighting in the vicinity of Al Amal Hospital and today's raid at Al Kheir Hospital.” He further stated that fighting puts patients and people seeking safety within (health) facilities at risk and prevents newly injured people outside health facilities from receiving care.
• Communicable diseases are on the rise in Gaza with more than 223,000 cases of acute respiratory infections, or 10 per cent of the population; more than 158,000 cases of diarrohea (of which 53 per cent in children under five), and more than 7,500 cases of acute jaundice (several of these acute cases have been confirmed as Hepatitis A). The situation for people with long-term medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders, will be further aggravated by the impact of the conflict and displacement.
• Reporting that cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in Gaza through test kits supplied by WHO, the Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that “inhumane living conditions –- barely any clean water, clean toilets, and possibility to keep the surroundings clean – will enable Hepatitis A to spread further ... The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too. We will continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• The availability of water in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 158,000 cases of diarrhoea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhoea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Food Insecurity

• Humanitarian partners report that, as of 17 January, only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are functioning north of Wadi Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), by providing wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price. Before 7 October, a total of 97 bakeries were operative overall in the Gaza Strip, in particular: 25 in Deir al Balah, 20 in Khan Younis, 19 in Rafah, eight in North Gaza and 25 in Gaza city.

Humanitarian Access

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. This is a significant increase in denials compared with the previous months; between October and December 2023, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.
• On 22 January, 66 truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, 358 Palestinians have been killed, including 91 children, across 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 these 358 fatalities, 348 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 22 January), 49 Palestinians, including at least ten children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 4,334 Palestinians, including 654 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,200 have been injured by Israeli forces, 113 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 444 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (344 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (55 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children).
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, 479 Palestinians, including 239 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• On 21 January, the Israeli authorities demolished on punitive grounds two residential structures comprising three apartments, and caused damage to a fourth apartment, displacing five people, including two children, in Hebron city. The houses belonged to the families of two of the three Palestinians who were shot and killed while they were carrying out a shooting attack against Israeli forces stationed at the Beit Jala checkpoint near Bethlehem. A total of 21 homes have been demolished and 100 Palestinians, including 44 children, have been displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January 2024, 739 Palestinians, including 309 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 115 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 81 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).

Funding

• As of 20 January, Member States have disbursed $693.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 14-21 January

Health

Needs

• According to WHO, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza.
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
  • A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals.
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
  • Nasser Hospital is currently experiencing a significant decrease in staff and patient numbers, with over 50 per cent of staff leaving and only 400 out of 750 patients remaining, some seeking care elsewhere or remaining at home. The hospital's capacity including maternity services, where only two obstetricians remain, have been severely impacted.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases.
• Health Cluster’s partners report that there is no access to Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where an estimated 13,000 displaced people have sought refuge. The hospital is still providing emergency consultations and maternity services.

Response

• To compensate for staff shortages at Nasser Hospital, additional medical personnel from Al-Quds Hospital were reassigned and two Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed to Nasser Hospital.
• In Al Amal Hospital, emergency consultations and maternity services are still being provided.
• The Health and WASH Clusters are working together to respond to the surge in Hepatitis A cases and to prepare for other outbreak-prone diseases linked to poor living conditions and lack of access to proper WASH facilities.
• The mapping exercise to identify formal and informal shelters that do not have access to primary healthcare services is ongoing; the mapping will help identify actors who can fill gaps.
• Eleven EMTs are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.

Challenges and Gaps

• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern governorates and Deir al Balah continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities.
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected due to the displacement of staff, social stresses, and telecommunication challenges.

WASH

Needs

• People in Gaza do not have access to adequate quantity and quality of water and lack hygiene materials, which has consequences on their wellbeing, including physical health.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern as tens of thousands of tons of unaddressed public waste are intensifying public health risks. The Gaza Municipality estimates that approximately 50,000 tons of solid waste remain unmanaged. This significant buildup contributes to the already critical situation, exacerbating environmental and health concerns in Gaza.

Response

Information regarding water production from the Gaza Municipality wells between 15 and 21 January is very limited due to the communication blackout, with data available from only two wells. During the reporting week:

• Some 3,100 cubic metres were accessible through the short-term desalination plants each day, in contrast to the pre-hostilities period when 22,000 cubic metres were available daily.
• Some 560 cubic metres of water is accessible through the Municipal Wells daily, while the production capacity was up to 255,000 cubic metres each day.
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah continues to operate below capacity, providing 1,140 cubic metres per day out of a possible 2,400. All desalinated water from this plant is distributed via tankers.
• The construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending to the Saudi Water Reservoir within the Philadelphia corridor is underway and expected to be completed in early February.
• Provision of 10,000 cubic metres of water to affected and displaced people through trucking and bottled water continues daily.

Challenges and Gaps

• In Gaza Strip, humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area.
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase.
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response.
• Most partners face resource shortfalls, with no commitment to new funding, particularly in camps and other areas where many IDPs remain settled.
• In the West Bank, the closure of Khirbet ‘Atouf in Tubas since 7 October has restricted access to water for herding, severely affecting several communities in the area. Checkpoint delays cause significant water shortages for residents and livestock, necessitating urgent WASH intervention.

Protection

Needs

• Unaccompanied and separated children require urgent protection, including family tracing and provision of shelter, winter clothing, blankets, water, and food.
• Even in the absence of formal assessments, the scale of explosive contamination will require, at a minimum:
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
  • Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) messages, including tailored to different groups and needs.
  • EORE and CPP training for humanitarian actors and widespread risk education.
  • Victim Assistance services for survivors of shelling and explosive ordnance related accidents.

Response

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 22 January, Child Protection partners have reached more than 93,000 boys and girls, and nearly 20,000 women and men across the Gaza Strip with awareness raising interventions; Mental Health and Psychological Support (MHPS) for children and caregivers–mainly as part of group or family activities– child protection referrals for education services; registration and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children; and distribution of clothing kits.
• Some Mine Action partners were able to operate, amid the ongoing blackout, in the reported period. UNICEF and other implementing partners conducted direct Explosive Ordnance awareness sessions, continued disseminating EORE-awareness messages and distributed 20,000 EORE leaflets in shelters.
• The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) continued providing explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) support to ensure the safe passage of convoys.
• Humanity and Inclusion are conducting needs assessments for emergency rehabilitation and MHPSS and preparing a refresher training EORE package for their teams.
• The Legal Task Force, together with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is working on providing substitute identifications cards for Palestinians arriving through the Karem Shalom Crossing without IDs, including providing attestations that can serve as substitute identity documentation.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications blackout and the continued restrictions on access and safe movement directly affected the delivery of planned child protection interventions, and the reporting of ongoing interventions.
• Mine Action partners report challenges in obtaining authorization to deploy personnel, especially EOD specialists, to carry out contamination assessments; further challenges include access restrictions on equipment, movement concerns due to insecurity. In the reporting period, the communication blackout interfered with risk education, messaging, and coordination of mine action partners.
• The Legal Task Force and its partners report major challenges, stemming from a lack of clear information and/or data on the people who have lost their documents following their displacement. Further, the authorities in Gaza are unable to issue new civil documentations amid hostilities, while challenges in obtaining alternative IDs and birth registrations date for the people who have lost such documents or for newborns who are both at risk of remaining without any formal ID.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• As of 22 January, it is estimated that about 73,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged.
• It is estimated that over 650,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnants of war.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris generated by the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 8,000,000 metric tons and will take over three years for its removal with Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters still lack basic non-food items (NFIs), and hundreds of thousands lack proper and adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are highly needed to allow the displaced communities to protect themselves and their children during the current harsh weather conditions and to alleviate the worrying overcrowded and unhygienic conditions in the current makeshift shelters.

Response

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed about 24,000 bedding items, including blankets, mattresses, and mats.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs

• Uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors for delivering critical aid across Gaza is critically needed to allow more trucks from the private sector to enter Gaza.
• Immediate provision of fuel and cooking gas is critical to sustain humanitarian efforts and maintaining the operation of essential services, such as mills and bakeries. Without them, communities will be unable to prepare the limited food available to them.
• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine.
  • Some 378,000 people are at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • Some 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response

• Between 15 and 21 January, 14 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners engaged in providing food assistance across the Gaza Strip and reached about 1.2 million people with at least one type of food assistance. Rafah Governorate received about 57 per cent of the total food assistance; Deir al Balah received about 29 per cent; Khan Younis around 21 per cent; 14.3 per cent of the food assistance reached the northern governorates. In particular:
  • In north Gaza, 10,374 people received food parcels, including 6,510 people in public shelters and 3,864 people with host families. Hot meals were provided to 16,000 people, specifically focusing on people displaced in UNRWA shelters.
  • In Deir al Balah governorate, food parcels were distributed to a total of 25,850 people, including 8,350 in public shelters and 17,500 staying with host families.
• In the south, FSS partners reached 606,091 IDPs, including in UNRWA shelters, public shelters, host families and makeshift camps in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah governorates through food parcels, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals.
• Bread distribution reached a total 305,620 people in Rafah. Some 309,275 people to the south of Wadi Gaza received flour outside UNRWA shelters.

Challenges and gaps

• FSS partners’ operational space and delivery access are greatly hindered across the Gaza Strip.
• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza.
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs

• Malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a huge concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.
• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.

Response

• UNICEF, WFP, and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities across the Gaza Strip, particularly among vulnerable children and women. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, including therapeutic food (RUTF to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, such as Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste (LNS-MQ). From 12 to 20 January, nutrition partners delivered and implemented the following:
  • Eight partners received key nutritional commodities in both the northern and southern governorates and delivered them to affected communities, including:
    • Compact food (BP5) for about 360 people.
    • Nutrition supplements (LNS-SQ, 5,530 cartons) benefiting 36,866 children.
    • Ready to Use Infant Formula (RUIF, 23,426 cartons) for 5,856 non-breastfed infants (0-5 months).
    • Therapeutic food (RUTF) (1,190 cartons) for 2,975 children.
    • Anthropometric supplies, including 14 scales, seven height boards, and packs of mid- upper arm circumference (MUAC) tapes for nutrition assessment.
  • A number of Lipid Nutrient Supplement paste - Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) - were secured to cover the needs of approximately 450,000 PBW and Children under-five for around two months. The first distribution cycle of 68 metric tons (MT)of LNS-MQ took place in December, in all Rafah UN shelters, covering all PBC and Children under-two.
  • On 21 January, another cycle of 147 MT entered Gaza and distribution is expected between 23 and 24 January to UN shelters in Rafah, to address the needs of around 155,000 PBW and children under five for 15 days.

Challenges and gaps

• Given stock and funding, Nutrition partners can meet only 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Logistics

• On 10 January, Logistics Cluster and WFP conducted a logistics assessment of Al Arish seaport. The port had already received five vessels since the onset of the Gaza response, mostly for government-chartered vessels; the largest one to dock so far had a capacity of about 4,000 MT of space. More information on the assessment can be found here.
• The Logistics Cluster has been engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan regarding discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have gradually started returning but are still not fully functional. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October.
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 20 January, the ETC resubmitted the consolidated partners’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment list in an official letter format to COGAT through the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC)
• On 15 January, the ETC assessed the Rafah VHF digital radio repeater at Al Shaboura Clinic. Although the repeater is functional, the security communications systems (SCS) are non-operational due to incompatibility between the VHF radio antennae and the digital repeater system. The ETC is assisting UNDSS to import compatible antennae from Jerusalem, with approval from the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) continues to offer technical support to humanitarian partner agencies in Rafah, Gaza.

Challenges and Gaps

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis.

Protection against sexual abuse and exploitation (PSEA) remains a cross-cutting priority for all clusters. The SAWA helpline, reachable at 121 and through WhatsApp at +972 59-4040121 (East Jerusalem at 1-800-500-121), operates 24/7. This toll-free number is widely disseminated across all areas of intervention to report cases of SEA and to facilitate emergency counselling and referrals for

No More Military Funding And Weapons For Israel

22 januari 2024

After more than 100 days into Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the Guardian dropped a bombshell investigative report into the Biden Administration’s State Department and its refusal to hold Israel accountable to existing U.S. laws. The Leahy Laws, written by Senator Patrick Leahy, bans the United States from supplying or selling weapons to countries that use them to violate human rights. Although these laws exist, the article by the Guardian, which can be found here, proved that Israel is given “special treatment” and is not held accountable. Under these laws, the Biden Administration is REQUIRED to stop sending weapons to Israel. 

TAKE ACTION: PRESSURE President Biden to uphold U.S. law and stop sending weapons to Israel

Israel continues to commit new atrocities in Gaza with every passing day, using our taxpayer dollars and American-made weapons. The United States has provided Israel with so many weapons that the military has polluted more than ten countries just transporting weapons to Israel. As of now, Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians and has injured 10’s of thousands more. Israel’s genocidal assault has also caused mass disease to spread and displaced more than 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza. 

 Sincerely,

Ayah ZiyadehAdvocacy Director

22 januari 2024

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #98

Through humanitarian support, 15 bakeries have become operational in Gaza, but none of them is in the centre or the north. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively remains compromised by the intensity of hostilities, recurrent denials of access to areas north of Wadi Gaza, and longstanding restrictions on the import of critical equipment. Photo by WHO, 6 January 2024

22 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 20 and 21 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement, as well as destruction. The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza continued. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. 
• Between the afternoons of 19 and 21 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 343 Palestinians were killed (178 between 20 and 21 January; 165 between 19 and 20 January), and another 573 people were injured (293 and 280 injuries, as per the same timeframe). Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 21 January 2024, at least 25,105 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 62,681 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• On 20 January, the UN Secretary-General stated: “People are dying not only from bombs and bullets, but from lack of food and clean water, hospitals without power and medicine, and gruelling journeys to ever-smaller slivers of land to escape the fighting. This must stop. I will not relent in my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
• Between 19 January and 21 January, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. Since the start of the ground operation and as of 21 January, 193 soldiers have been killed, and 1,203 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• Since the evening of 19 January, mobile phone communication – which had been down since 12 January – has been restored to most of Gaza, with the exception of some services in the north. However, tinternet remains down across the whole of Gaza. The blackout of telecommunications restricts people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
• Beyond telecommunication shutdowns, the capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by recurrent denials of access to the north, restrictions on the import of critical equipment, and the intensity of hostilities, among other factors.
• Humanitarian partners report that, as of 17 January, only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are functioning north of Wadi Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), providing them with wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price.
• At a press briefing in Geneva on 19 January, upon the conclusion of her visit to Gaza, a UNICEF Communication Specialist stated: “In the 105 days of this escalation in the Gaza Strip, nearly 20,000 babies have been born into war. That’s a baby born into this horrendous war every 10 minutes. Mothers face unimaginable challenges in accessing adequate medical care, nutrition, and protection before, during and after giving birth. Becoming a mother should be a time for celebration. In Gaza, it's another child delivered into hell. Humanity cannot allow this warped version of normal to persist any longer. Mothers and newborns need a humanitarian ceasefire.”
• On 19 January, about 100 Palestinians were released back to Gaza by the Israeli military through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Speaking to the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory, men who had been detained by Israeli forces in unknown locations for 30 to 55 days described “being beaten, humiliated, and subjected to ill-treatment, and to what may amount to torture. Such allegations are consistent with reports our Office has been gathering of the detention of Palestinians on a broad scale, including many civilians, held in secrecy, often subject to ill-treatment, with no access to their families, lawyers or effective judicial protection. Israel must take urgent steps to ensure that all those arrested or detained are treated in line with international human rights and international humanitarian law norms and standards, notably with full respect for their due process rights.”
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released. Israeli media has reported that an agreement had been reached for medicine to be delivered to some of the hostages still held in Gaza, but there is no confirmation yet if this has been implemented. The UN Secretary-General has again reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 19 and 20 January:  
  • On 19 January, at about 14:30, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house was struck in Al Maghazi Camp, Deir al Balah governorate.
  • On 19 January, at about 18:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house was struck in An Nuseirat Camp, Deir al Balah governorate.
  • On 20 January, at about 15:15, five Palestinians were reportedly killed when a residential building was struck in Jabalya, northern Gaza.
  • On 20 January, at about 17:10, four Palestinians were reportedly killed when a car was struck in the centre of Rafah. 

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 20 January, according to UNRWA, there aree an estimated 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to the continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. These resulted in multiple registration of the same IDPs in different shelters. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data on the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has been severely restricted and there are plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters as soon as the security situation allows. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. 
• According to a new report by UN Women, “displacement exacerbates people’s vulnerability, erodes their coping mechanisms, and impacts them differently based on gender. Since the ground operation started in Gaza, it has been reported that men faced arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. According to media reports, while on the displacement journey, women also faced risks of arbitrary detention and harassment. For families with elderly relatives or family members with disabilities who simply cannot move, it is women who disproportionately stay behind as caregivers.”

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. Only 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• The 16 hospitals that are still partially functional include nine in the south and seven in the north. This is an increase of one more hospital in the north – Kamal Adwan – which has been functioning again to some degree since mid-January. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. 
• The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby. On 19 January, Israeli forces reportedly carried out an attack in the vicinity of Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, where one Palestinian was reportedly killed. On 20 January, strikes around both Al Amal and the European Hospital continued, with casualties reported.
• Reporting that cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in Gaza through test kits supplied by WHO, the Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that “inhumane living conditions –- barely any clean water, clean toilets and possibility to keep the surroundings clean – will enable Hepatitis A to spread further ... The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too. We will continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

• The availability of water in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at 21,200 cubic metres a day, which is tenth of their production capacity of 255,000 cubic metres a day prior to the escalation of hostilities. Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Sa’id point – is functional, yielding 22,000 cubic metres a day, which is less than half of what would have been available if all lines were working.
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at 1,600 cubic metres per day, which is 7 per cent of the pre-crisis capacity of 22,000 cubic metres per day. Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 152,000 cases of diarrhoea, the inability to perform water chlorination to kill bacteria is exacerbating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhoea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be removed to enable adequate response.

Humanitarian Access

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. This is a significant increase in denials compared with the previous months; between October and December 2023, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.
• On 18 January, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said: “Once aid enters the Gaza Strip, our ability to distribute it becomes a matter of life and death. It is essential to lift access restrictions, ensure reliable ground communications, and facilitate the movement of humanitarian supplies to ensure that those who have been without assistance for several days receive much-needed assistance. We have to get commercial traffic flowing in Gaza, so that markets can reopen, and families are less dependent on relief.”
• On 20 and 21 January, 325 truckloads of food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings (174 on 20 January and 151 on 21 January). Since the opening of Kerem Shalom crossing, almost 22 per cent of aid trucks have come in through that entry point.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 358 Palestinians have been killed, including 91 children, across 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 these 358 fatalities, 348 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. So far in 2024 (as of 21 January), 49 Palestinians, including at least ten children, have been killed.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 4,313 Palestinians, including 647 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,179 have been injured by Israeli forces, 113 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 441 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (45 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (341 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (55 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 479 Palestinians, including 239 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 19 homes have been demolished and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 20  January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of 2023, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• The Israeli military operations, which took place in the refugee camps of Nur Shams and Tulkarm (both in Tulkarm) on 17 and 18 January, resulted in damage to homes and infrastructure, in addition to the fatalities and injuries already recorded. At least 21 homes were rendered uninhabitable due to explosions and bulldozing, displacing 137 people, including 46 children. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 21 January 2024, 739 Palestinians, including 309 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 115 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 95 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, Nur Shams and Tulkarm. This represents 81 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 20 January, Member States have disbursed $693.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 7-14 January

Health

Needs:

• According to WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following: 
  • Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases. 
  • A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
• The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.

Response:

• Eleven Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.
• Health and WASH partners are finalizing an inter-cluster outbreak preparedness and response plan; and are mapping out formal and informal shelters which are without access to primary healthcare services, to identify partners to cover the gaps.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The security situation, access, transport, and deconfliction remain extremely challenging, especially hospitals in the northern governorates. 
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected by the displacement of staff and also telecommunication challenges.
• There is an urgent need to conduct assessments on the outbreak of communicable diseases, such Hepatitis A, to identify the most affected groups, hotspot locations and other key epidemiological information. This is essential to tailor a proper response plan to address identified cases and prevent the spread of disease

WASH

Needs:

• Flooding is being reported across different parts of the Gaza Strip due to winter weather, extensive infrastructure damage and destruction and the clogging of sewage systems and wastewater. 
• Rainwater lagoons have been contaminated by wastewater and several lagoons are at risk of flooding if the rainfall intensifies. This poses a serious environmental and public health concern. 
• WHO reported an increase in Hepatitis A cases in the Middle Area and Rafah governorates, with the current water and sanitation conditions proving a high risk for further spread.
• To manage water supply and waste-management alone, 22 generators have been requested. These items are pending entry into Gaza. 
• Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel is currently functioning. The Middle Area water pipeline, with a production capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, needs repairs. It is estimated that repairs would take up to four weeks, even given sustained access and necessary supplies. 
• Only two of the remaining three main low-capacity water desalination plants in Deir al Balah and southern Gaza are currently operational and are producing up to 2,400 cubic metres each day.

Response:

• Despite these challenges, WASH partners have undertaken the following responses since October 2023:  
  • Some 34,000 cubic metres of water have been delivered through water trucking and 2,400 metres through bottled water. 
  • More than 53,000 jerrycans and more than 40 storage tanks have been distributed. 
  • Nearly 145,000 hygiene kits and 1,800 cleaning kits have been distributed. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 

Protection

Needs: 

• Hundreds of detainees who have been released and returned to Gaza since December 2023, need support. Some were able to return to families while others moved to shelters.
• There is a need for safe shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). 
• There is still a high demand for women’s hygiene supplies across Gaza. 

Response: 

• Protection partners continue to support formerly detained Gazans released through Kerem Shalom Crossing. Partners provide a support package comprised of food, water, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies as well as medical care and treatment. The long-term needs include advanced mental health and psychosocial support. 
• The GBV Sub cluster is coordinating the distribution of critical hygiene supplies for women and girls to the northern governorates, coordinating with relevant actors for distribution, procurement, and access. 
• The sub cluster will also review the composition of dignity kits based on changing needs and feedback from women. 
• Women Affairs Centre is preparing an assessment on the impact of current hostilities on women and girls, and the sub cluster will prepare for a wider scale assessment, including elements that can be used in any future intersectoral needs assessments. 
• Mine Action partners continue to conduct outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Communication and network outages greatly curtailed the ongoing lifesaving Mine Action work, including outreach and mine risk education and conflict preparedness messages shared via SMS, radio, and social media. Partners continue to carry on outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions. 

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• As of 14th January, it is estimated that about 70,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. 
• It is estimated that over 500,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnant of war (ERW). 

Challenges and Gaps:

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Response: 

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed 1,000 tents and tarpaulin sheets in addition to 2,000 blankets.

Food security

Needs:

• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • 378,000 people at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response: 

• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs: 

• Given the current stock and funding situation, Nutrition partners can only meet 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Response: 

• UNICEF and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, alongside preventative nutrition supplies, including High Energy Biscuits (HEBs). During the second week of January 2024, nutrition partners delivered the following:  
  • Partners distributed 5,978 Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) boxes, 638 Survival food ration and 2,063 ready-to-eat (RTE) therapeutic food. 
  • Over 33,407 pregnant and nursing women and children under two received LNS supply for one month and sensitization materials in 24 UNRWA shelters in Rafah. 
  • Five nutrition staff were trained in Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
  • (IYCF-E) and in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) while 12 triage staff were trained in Mother-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening aiming for caregivers and health workers to screen for acute malnutrition in children.

Education

Needs: 

• According to the Education Cluster, more than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by attacks on education and school closures since 7 October 2023, and remain with no access to education or a safe place. 
• According to the Ministry of Education in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024, 4,119 students and 221 teachers were killed, while 7,536 students and 703 teachers injured across the Gaza Strip. 
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and have sustained varying levels of damage. Of these, 375 schools sustained damage including 12 that were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. 

Response: 

• The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities. 
• Since October 2023, nine partners have reached close to 93,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies and activities in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• No activities have been undertaken in the three northern governorates of Gaza, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges. 
• In the first week of January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside. 

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MCPA)

• Since the beginning of the hostilities, 118,200 households (about 787,233 people) have received emergency MPCA. 
• Although cash assistance has been provided to affected people across the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of cash assistance activities are now concentrated in the southern governorates. 
• Because formal markets are largely depleted, informal markets are now the key sources of basics goods and services. This includes trading of personal belongings, small household-based production (bread, vegetables), humanitarian assistance, and other items. 
• Post distribution monitoring data from recipients of cash assistance point to food, medicines, debt repayment, drinking water, and transportation as the top expenditures reported. The percentage of expenditures on food has further decreased over the past weeks, while the percentage of expenditures on medicines has doubled. Some 70 per cent of the respondents report that unrestricted cash has helped them access needed goods and services, either fully or partially, while 87 per cent preferred unrestricted cash for future assistance.

Logistics

• On 11 January, Logistics Cluster provided access to an additional warehouse in Rafah with a 400 square metre capacity, bringing the total space available for partners’ storage in Rafah to 1,470 square metres across three warehouses. 
• Transport services are ongoing from the Rafah Transshipment Point to the Logistics Cluster warehouses in Rafah, as well as the cargo notification service to notify partners once their cargo arrives in Rafah.
• The Logistics Cluster is engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan to initiate discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published the updated bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs: 

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have been shut down since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. 
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response: 

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 11 January, the ETC submitted two letters with detailed specifications of the equipment to be imported into Gaza. 
• The ETC deployed an ICT Specialist to Gaza on 8 January for an initial technical engagement with local actors to plan an initial ICT needs assessment and to set up technical coordination processes for the response. 
• Since 9 January, the ETC is conducting technical support to partner agencies in Rafah that include United Nations agencies and international NGOs to improve their telecommunications platforms.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. 
• Attacks on telecommunication infrastructures and services providers remain a huge challenge to restore the telecommunication services in Gaza. On 13 January, a telecommunications company vehicle was reportedly struck in central Khan Younis, although the crew was on a repair mission and had secured security coordination. Two staff were reportedly killed.

Protection against sexual abuse and exploitation (PSEA) remains a cross-cutting priority for all clusters. The SAWA helpline, reachable at 121 and through WhatsApp at +972 59-4040121 (East Jerusalem at 1-800-500-121), operates 24/7. This toll-free number is widely disseminated across all areas of intervention to report cases of SEA and to facilitate emergency counselling and referrals for affected communities to access life-saving services. The PSEA Network monitors calls daily and will increase the number of counsellors if necessary.

22 januari 2024

Israel is systematically obliterating Gaza, section by section

As Israeli forces surround yet another hospital in Gaza, Hamas releases a letter clarifying its motives behind the October 7 attack, reiterating the Palestinian demand for the right to self-determination.

The battle for Jerusalem plays out in the Armenian Quarter

Jerusalemite Armenians are under pressure from Israeli settlers to relinquish control of property in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City. In the battle for Jerusalem, many Armenians are adamant keeping the property out of the settlers' grip.

100 dagen conflict in Gaza: jonge moeders en baby’s betalen de  prijs

22 januari 2024

Meer dan 100 dagen geleden escaleerde het conflict in Gaza. Honger en dorst nemen alsmaar toe.

Er is nauwelijks medische zorg, waardoor voornamelijk zwangere vrouwen en pasgeboren baby’s in gevaarlijke omstandigheden leven. Meer en meer vrouwen moeten bevallen in overvolle en vieze schuilplaatsen, zonder enige vorm van hulp.

Today's headlines

‘Israel bombs two more hospitals in Gaza as official death toll crosses 25,000’

21 januari 2024

Gaza’s Heath Ministry announced that Israeli attacks have killed at least 25,105 Palestinians, and injured 62,681, since October 7 as Israeli forces continue to target Al-Amal and Al-Nasser hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestine awakens the revolution

Bearing witness to Israel's genocide in Palestine has changed people forever. This is leading many to not only solidify their opposition to Zionism, but to reject the role of the West as a whole.

Rutgers SJP is reinstated and still defiant

Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers - New Brunswick

Students for Justice in Palestine has been reinstated at Rutgers University but is on probation until next December. Rutgers could have supported Palestinian students suffering during this time. Instead, our university has chosen to suppress our voices.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #97

“None of the children has winter clothes. Four of us are sharing a single mattress… The little one sleeps in his carrier... They are all with diarrhea… It’s cold… Hatem has a cough. Their skin is peeling…” Mena, a single mother staying with her four children, including two with disabilities, in a makeshift tent in Al Quds Open University, Gaza. Photo by UNICEF/El Baba, 11 January 2024

20 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 19 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and displacement, as well as destruction. The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza continued. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. On 17 January, the UN Secretary-General repeated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 18 and 19 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 142 Palestinians were killed, and another 278 people were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 19 January 2024, at least 24,762 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 62,108 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• Between 17 January and 18 January, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. Since the start of the ground operation and as of 18 January, 191 soldiers have been killed, and 1,178 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• As of 19 January, telecommunication services in Gaza have remained shut down since 12 January. In light of this, new information is limited in this Flash Update. This is the sevnth time that communications have stopped working since 7 October, and is the longest blackout recorded to date. The blackout of telecommunications prevents people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information or calling for first responders and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
• The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking each day. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines is functional, yielding less than half (22,000 cubic metres a day) of what would have been available if all lines were working. (For more information see the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) section below).
• Reporting that cases of Hepatitis A have been confirmed in Gaza through test kits supplied by his organization, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus warned that “inhumane living conditions - barely any clean water, clean toilets and possibility to keep the surroundings clean - will enable Hepatitis A to spread further ... The capacity to diagnose diseases remains extremely limited. There is no functioning laboratory. The capacity to respond remains limited too. We will continue to call for unimpeded and safe access of medical aid and for health to be protected.”
• Partners report that as of 17 January,  only 15 bakeries were operational across the Gaza Strip; six in Rafah and nine in Deir al Balah. No bakeries are currently functioning north of Wadi Gaza. The World Food Programme (WFP) has been supporting eight of the functional bakeries (six in Rafah and two in Deir al Balah), providing them with wheat flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Through this initiative, about 250,000 people were able to purchase bread at a subsidized price.
• On 18 January, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said: “Once aid enters the Gaza Strip, our ability to distribute it becomes a matter of life and death. It is essential to lift access restrictions, ensure reliable ground communications, and facilitate the movement of humanitarian supplies to ensure that those who have been without assistance for several days receive much-needed assistance. We have to get commercial traffic flowing in Gaza, so that markets can reopen, and families are less dependent on relief.”

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The communications shutdown has limited the full reporting of incidents. However, the following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 19 January:  
  • On 19 January, at about 00:15, eight Palestinians, including one child, were reportedly killed when a house was struck west of Khan Younis.
  • On 19 January, at about 7:00, 12 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and several others injured, when a house in the vicinity of Shifa Hospital, Gaza city, was struck. 
• On 17 January, Israeli forces detonated explosives and destroyed the Israa University in Madinat Az Zahraa, south Gaza city. Reportedly, for the previous 70 days, the building had been used by the Israeli military as a military base and an ad hoc detention facility for interrogating Palestinian detainees before their transfer to an unknown location.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 18 January, according to UNRWA, 1.7 million people were estimated to be internally displaced. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data on the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has been severely restricted. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. These resulted in multiple registrations of the same IDPs in different shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters as soon as the security situation allows.
• Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging.
• According to a new report by UN WOMEN, “displacement exacerbates people’s vulnerability, erodes their coping mechanisms, and impacts them differently based on gender. Since the ground operation started in Gaza, it has been reported that men faced arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance. According to media reports, while on the displacement journey, women also faced risks of arbitrary detention and harassment. For families with elderly relatives or family members with disabilities who simply cannot move, it is women who disproportionately stay behind as caregivers.”

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.
• Since 19 November, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah, . However, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity, due to insufficient fuel. A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been impacted as of 12 January. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessments and field repairs.  

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, health care in Gaza remains extremely fragile. Only 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: partial functionality indicates that a hospital is accessible to people in need of health care, can take in new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. These 16 hospitals include nine in the south and seven in the north. This is an increase of one more hospital in the north – Kamal Adwan – which has been functioning again to some degree since mid-January.  In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units. 

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

• The availability of water in Gaza is shrinking. According to WASH humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at a tenth (21,200 cubic metres a day) of its production capacity prior to the escalation of hostilities (255,000 cubic metres a day). Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty), whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the most optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Said point – is functional, yielding less than half (22,000 cubic metres a day) of what would have been available if all lines were working. 
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at seven per cent (1,600 cubic metres per day) of the pre-crisis capacity (22,000 cubic metres per day). Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 152,000 cases of diarrhoea, the inability to do water chlorination to kill bacteria is aggravating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhoea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be resolved to enable adequate response.

Humanitarian Access

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. Two additional missions, originally coordinated with the Israeli authorities, could not be completed due to the non-viability of allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints, which did not allow the missions to succeed during the safe operating windows. 
• The denial of humanitarian missions’ access to areas north of Wadi Gaza over the first half of January spiked compared with the previous months; between October and December 2023, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. Additionally, planned missions that are denied access to areas north of Wadi Gaza represent opportunities missed for alternative missions that could be undertaken to other areas of the Gaza Strip. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.
• On 18 and 19 January, 288 truckloads with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Since the opening of Kerem Shalom crossing, almost 22 per cent of aid trucks have come in through that entry point.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 19 January, a 17-year-old Palestinian child was shot and killed near Mazra’a ash Shariqiyah village in Ramallah. At the time of the incident, Israeli forces and settlers shot live ammunition towards a group of Palestinians who were reportedly throwing stones at Israeli vehicles driving on Road 60 near the village. It is not yet clear whether the boy was shot by Israeli forces or settlers.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024, 358 Palestinians have been killed, including 91 children, across 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 the 358 fatalities in the West Bank, 348 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. So far in 2024 (as of 19 January), 49 Palestinians, including at least ten children, have been killed. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024, 4,310 Palestinians, including 647 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,178 have been injured by Israeli forces, 111 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 54 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, OCHA recorded 439 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (43 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (341 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (55 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents since 7 October 2023 until 19 January 2024.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• On 18 January, the Israeli authorities demolished 11 structures, five of which were homes, in Duma village in Nablus, due to lack of Israeli-issued permits. Eighteen people, including 12 children, were displaced.  In addition, the access of some 500 families in the village to their agricultural land was affected, due to the bulldozing of two agricultural roads. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024, 479 Palestinians, including 239 children, have been displaced, following the demolition of their homes, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 19 homes have been demolished and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 19 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of the same year, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 602 Palestinians, including 263 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 94 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 94 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, and in Nur Shams and Tulkarm, both in Tulkarm. This represents 65 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 19 January, Member States have disbursed $693.3 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 58 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 7-14 January

Health

Needs:

• According to WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following: 
  • Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases. 
  • A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
• The maternity unit at Al Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.

Response:

• Eleven Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.
• Health and WASH partners are finalizing an inter-cluster outbreak preparedness and response plan; and are mapping out formal and informal shelters which are without access to primary healthcare services, to identify partners to cover the gaps.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The security situation, access, transport, and deconfliction remain extremely challenging, especially hospitals in the northern governorates. 
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected by the displacement of staff and also telecommunication challenges.
• There is an urgent need to conduct assessments on the outbreak of communicable diseases, such Hepatitis A, to identify the most affected groups, hotspot locations and other key epidemiological information. This is essential to tailor a proper response plan to address identified cases and prevent the spread of disease

WASH

Needs:

• Flooding is being reported across different parts of the Gaza Strip due to winter weather, extensive infrastructure damage and destruction and the clogging of sewage systems and wastewater. 
• Rainwater lagoons have been contaminated by wastewater and several lagoons are at risk of flooding if the rainfall intensifies. This poses a serious environmental and public health concern. 
• WHO reported an increase in Hepatitis A cases in the Middle Area and Rafah governorates, with the current water and sanitation conditions proving a high risk for further spread.
• To manage water supply and waste-management alone, 22 generators have been requested. These items are pending entry into Gaza. 
• Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel is currently functioning. The Middle Area water pipeline, with a production capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, needs repairs. It is estimated that repairs would take up to four weeks, even given sustained access and necessary supplies. 
• Only two of the remaining three main low-capacity water desalination plants in Deir al Balah and southern Gaza are currently operational and are producing up to 2,400 cubic metres each day.

Response:

• Despite these challenges, WASH partners have undertaken the following responses since October 2023:  
  • Some 34,000 cubic metres of water have been delivered through water trucking and 2,400 metres through bottled water. 
  • More than 53,000 jerrycans and more than 40 storage tanks have been distributed. 
  • Nearly 145,000 hygiene kits and 1,800 cleaning kits have been distributed. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 

Protection

Needs: 

• Hundreds of detainees who have been released and returned to Gaza since December 2023, need support. Some were able to return to families while others moved to shelters.
• There is a need for safe shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). 
• There is still a high demand for women’s hygiene supplies across Gaza. 

Response: 

• Protection partners continue to support formerly detained Gazans released through Kerem Shalom Crossing. Partners provide a support package comprised of food, water, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies as well as medical care and treatment. The long-term needs include advanced mental health and psychosocial support. 
• The GBV Sub cluster is coordinating the distribution of critical hygiene supplies for women and girls to the northern governorates, coordinating with relevant actors for distribution, procurement, and access. 
• The sub cluster will also review the composition of dignity kits based on changing needs and feedback from women. 
• Women Affairs Centre is preparing an assessment on the impact of current hostilities on women and girls, and the sub cluster will prepare for a wider scale assessment, including elements that can be used in any future intersectoral needs assessments. 
• Mine Action partners continue to conduct outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Communication and network outages greatly curtailed the ongoing lifesaving Mine Action work, including outreach and mine risk education and conflict preparedness messages shared via SMS, radio, and social media. Partners continue to carry on outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions. 

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• As of 14th January, it is estimated that about 70,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. 
• It is estimated that over 500,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnant of war (ERW). 

Challenges and Gaps:

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Response: 

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed 1,000 tents and tarpaulin sheets in addition to 2,000 blankets.

Food security

Needs:

• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • 378,000 people at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response: 

• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs: 

• Given the current stock and funding situation, Nutrition partners can only meet 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Response: 

• UNICEF and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, alongside preventative nutrition supplies, including High Energy Biscuits (HEBs). During the second week of January 2024, nutrition partners delivered the following:  
  • Partners distributed 5,978 Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) boxes, 638 Survival food ration and 2,063 ready-to-eat (RTE) therapeutic food. 
  • Over 33,407 pregnant and nursing women and children under two received LNS supply for one month and sensitization materials in 24 UNRWA shelters in Rafah. 
  • Five nutrition staff were trained in Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
  • (IYCF-E) and in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) while 12 triage staff were trained in Mother-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening aiming for caregivers and health workers to screen for acute malnutrition in children.

Education

Needs: 

• According to the Education Cluster, more than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by attacks on education and school closures since 7 October 2023, and remain with no access to education or a safe place. 
• According to the Ministry of Education in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024, 4,119 students and 221 teachers were killed, while 7,536 students and 703 teachers injured across the Gaza Strip. 
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and have sustained varying levels of damage. Of these, 375 schools sustained damage including 12 that were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. 

Response: 

• The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities. 
• Since October 2023, nine partners have reached close to 93,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies and activities in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• No activities have been undertaken in the three northern governorates of Gaza, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges. 
• In the first week of January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside. 

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MCPA)

• Since the beginning of the hostilities, 118,200 households (about 787,233 people) have received emergency MPCA. 
• Although cash assistance has been provided to affected people across the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of cash assistance activities are now concentrated in the southern governorates. 
• Because formal markets are largely depleted, informal markets are now the key sources of basics goods and services. This includes trading of personal belongings, small household-based production (bread, vegetables), humanitarian assistance, and other items. 
• Post distribution monitoring data from recipients of cash assistance point to food, medicines, debt repayment, drinking water, and transportation as the top expenditures reported. The percentage of expenditures on food has further decreased over the past weeks, while the percentage of expenditures on medicines has doubled. Some 70 per cent of the respondents report that unrestricted cash has helped them access needed goods and services, either fully or partially, while 87 per cent preferred unrestricted cash for future assistance.

Logistics

• On 11 January, Logistics Cluster provided access to an additional warehouse in Rafah with a 400 square metre capacity, bringing the total space available for partners’ storage in Rafah to 1,470 square metres across three warehouses. 
• Transport services are ongoing from the Rafah Transshipment Point to the Logistics Cluster warehouses in Rafah, as well as the cargo notification service to notify partners once their cargo arrives in Rafah.
• The Logistics Cluster is engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan to initiate discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published the updated bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs: 

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have been shut down since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. 
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response: 

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 11 January, the ETC submitted two letters with detailed specifications of the equipment to be imported into Gaza. 
• The ETC deployed an ICT Specialist to Gaza on 8 January for an initial technical engagement with local actors to plan an initial ICT needs assessment and to set up technical coordination processes for the response. 
• Since 9 January, the ETC is conducting technical support to partner agencies in Rafah that include United Nations agencies and international NGOs to improve their telecommunications platforms.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. 
• Attacks on telecommunication infrastructures and services providers remain a huge challenge to restore the telecommunication services in Gaza. On 13 January, a telecommunications company vehicle was reportedly struck in central Khan Younis, although the crew was on a repair mission and had secured security coordination. Two staff were reportedly killed.

Protection against sexual abuse and exploitation (PSEA) remains a cross-cutting priority for all clusters. The SAWA helpline, reachable at 121 and through WhatsApp at +972 59-4040121 (East Jerusalem at 1-800-500-121), operates 24/7. This toll-free number is widely disseminated across all areas of intervention to report cases of SEA and to facilitate emergency counselling and referrals for affected communities to access life-saving services. The PSEA Network monitors calls daily and will increase the number of counsellors if necessary.

Voices United: Historic Protest in D.C. Calls for Ceasefire, Accountability, and Justice in Palestine

20 januari 2024

On January 13th, 2024, over 400,000 protestors marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., to reiterate our demands of the Biden Administration and Congress to:

1. Call for and facilitate immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza
2. End unconditional U.S. funding of Israel's genocide against Gaza and the occupation of Palestine
3. Hold Israel accountable for war crimes committed against the Palestinian people and its continuous violations of international law.

In partnership with the ANSWER coalition, the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine would like to thank all who joined us in the largest protest ever for Palestine in the U.S. Thank you to the over 350 organizations who endorsed and answered our call to March on Washington for Gaza. Despite the harsh winter, Americans came from over 35 states and 125+ cities to join their voices and demand the Biden administration listen to the people's will.

This historic march on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend was a monumental moment for the movement for Palestine and a moment of reckoning for the Biden administration. Our collective demands and message were clear: We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the US aid for Israel, and for Israel to be held accountable for their violations of both US and international human rights.

With over 26,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel, 60k+ injured, and over 1.9 million internally displaced, we need to maintain the momentum and continue acting to save lives. U.S. complicity in this genocide and occupation of Palestine must come to an immediate end.

The American movement for a just U.S. foreign policy and the liberation of the Palestinian people is a multiracial, multifaith, and multigenerational movement. Our efforts will, God willing, continue until we see a free Palestine. We urge those who joined us to continue mobilizing and organizing. We invite you to take these next three steps.

Organize locally for a ceasefire resolution

The American Muslim Task Force for Palestine is deeply grateful for your commitment to justice. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” While we pray for our Palestinian brothers and sisters, we will also not relent in our efforts to demand justice and the liberation of all of Palestine.

Signed,
American Muslim Task Force for Palestine

The American Muslim Task Force on Palestine includes American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Student Association-National (MSA), Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), and Young Muslims (YM).

Your Activist Scoop

West Coast National March this past weekend. Photo by @d1hluv (IG).

 Onward to liberation,

19 januari 2024

Last Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people converged on DC for a second March on Washington in solidarity with Palestine. The Real News Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez was present on the street at the march, speaking with protesters who turned out from across the country on why they continue to stand with Palestine. Some were Palestinian Americans speaking out in the name of their family members slaughtered by Israel; others came from a range of non-Palestinian backgrounds and found themselves motivated by history and simple morality to defend the rights of Palestinians. Few other outlets will offer you a perspective from the street as in-depth as The Real News—don’t miss out and take a moment to listen or watch.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has undoubtedly become the most broadcasted atrocity in history. The war crimes taking place on a daily basis are being streamed in real time to the devices of billions of viewers across the globe. But if you look at the corporate media of Western nations, you’ll find pundits and anchors spinning stories that blatantly contradict what audiences can see with their own eyes. Journalists Adam Johnson and Dan Boguslaw join The Real News for a conversation on the corporate media’s clear bias and unreliability in this moment, and what it tells us about the deeper political crisis that heightens with each day this genocide continues.

As our stories this week highlight, we really can’t depend on the corporate media to provide a platform for regular people engaged in politics. Particularly when it comes to the question of Palestine, most voices who dare to speak out against Israel’s crimes are swiftly muzzled, while facts inconvenient to the Zionist narrative are either ignored or outright denied. It’s shameful how rarely the perspectives of Palestinian Americans, who have spent three months watching their families be decimated, are heard in mainstream media. We consider it a duty and an honor to provide a space for these and other voices to be amplified.

Today's headlines

Israel destroys Gaza’s last university as Netanyahu doubles down on rejection of a Palestinian state

19 januari 2024

Mondoweiss Palestine Bureau 

Netanyahu vows there won’t be a Palestinian state so long as he’s in office, while Joe Biden admits strikes against Yemen’s Ansar Allah aren’t working.

Drone strikes, mass arrests, and demolitions: Massive Israeli raid kills at least 11 Palestinians in northern West Bank

Shatha Hanaysha and Yumna Patel

Israeli drone strikes have killed nine Palestinians in Nablus and Tulkarem during a massive ongoing army operation in the West Bank. As many as a 1,000 Palestinians have been detained in what locals are calling a "collective punishment" campaign.

Safeguarding Zionist fragility on British campuses

Shaida Nabi

As Israel's genocide in Gaza continues to deepen, the spectacle of Zionist fragility on British campuses has reached new heights. Institutional efforts to coddle pro-Israel sentiment will only bolster the pro-Palestinian movement.

Biden’s ‘day after’ plan for Gaza reflects ignorance and incompetence

Mitchell Plitnick

The Biden administration plan for the “day after” in Gaza is rooted in American hubris and ignorance, and therefore doomed to failure.

Humanitarian Access Snapshot - North of Wadi Gaza | Mid-January 2024

19 januari 2024

OVERVIEW

• The movement of humanitarian missions into areas where Israeli forces operate in Gaza is transparently coordinated with parties to the conflict to ensure safe passage. The first two weeks of January have witnessed a dramatic increase in the rate of denials by the Israeli military of access to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. This has prevented the scale-up of humanitarian operations.
• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver life-saving supplies to the north; more than 1.5 times the total number planned in December (18).
• However, due to access denials by the Israeli military, only 7 of the 29 missions (24%) were carried out, either fully or partially. An additional two missions (7%) were coordinated by the Israeli military, but could not be carried out due to infeasible access through Israeli-allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints infringing on safe operating windows.
• The 69% rate of denials over the first half of January denotes a stark deterioration from the previous months (October-December); when the access of only 14% (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north was denied; with 86% (37) facilitated. The denials prevent scale-up and have a paralyzing opportunity cost to the overall response.
• The Israeli military denied 95% (18 of 19) of missions involving the allocation of fuel and medicines to water reservoirs, water wells and health facilities in the north in the first two weeks of January. This increased health and environmental hazards while debilitating the functionality of the six partially functioning hospitals (the remaining 18 hospitals are not functioning).
• Since 7 October 2023, humanitarian missions have reported at least two incidents involving escalation of force and two detainments of convoy members. Reluctance by Israeli forces toopen both main supply routes simultaneously and/or facilitate early access through the checkpoint that they control has resulted in persistent security and protection issues for civilians, including the humanitarian responders.
• Beyond access to the north, the capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively anywhere in Gaza remains heavily compromised by Israeli restrictions on the import of critical equipment, including sufficient numbers of armored vehicles (AVs) and appropriate communication devices. As of 17 January, the UN was able to secure the entry of four AVs into Gaza, while many more are required and maintenance for the existing fleet is essential.

Dat is de kern van het deze week verschenen vijfde deel van onze artikelserie Keizer zonder kleren, waarin we het Nederlandse ontmoedigingsbeleid onder een vergrootglas leggen.

Aanmoedigingsbeleid
De overheid zet zich al jaren actief in om Nederlandse bedrijven te verleiden tot samenwerking met bedrijven die opereren in de Israëlische nederzettingen. Meer dan eens betrof dat projecten in de nederzettingen zelf.

In het artikel geven we vijf voorbeelden van dit feitelijke 'aanmoedigingsbeleid' van de overheid. Zo beschrijven we onder meer hoe het Israëlische nationale waterbedrijf Mekorot door de Nederlandse ambassade in Tel Aviv in 2013 werd geselecteerd voor een ‘samenwerkingsforum’.

Dat Mekorot water oppompt in de bezette Palestijnse gebieden, waarvan het leeuwendeel wordt geleverd aan de illegale nederzettingen, en dat de Palestijnen daarmee de zeggenschap over hun watervoorraad is ontnomen, bleek geen bezwaar. Door Mekorot ondanks zijn activiteiten te selecteren stelde de ambassade het bedrijf voor als acceptabele partner voor Nederlandse bedrijven.

Uit ons onderzoek blijkt dat het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken en de Nederlandse ambassade in Tel Aviv ook nu nog op deze wijze handelen. Zo benaderde de Nederlandse ambassade in Tel Aviv in 2020 notabene op eigen initiatief het Amsterdamse bedrijf AWECT voor de aanbesteding van een opdracht in bezet gebied.

Bedrijven meegesleept
De vijf in het artikel opgenomen voorbeelden geven een duidelijk beeld van de overheid als drijvende kracht achter de handel met Israëls nederzettingen. Door handelsrelaties aan te gaan en te faciliteren met bedrijven als Mekorot raakt de overheid bewust en op eigen initiatief betrokken bij schendingen van het internationaal recht en de mensenrechten.

Nederlandse bedrijven worden daarin vervolgens meegesleept. Dat is onacceptabel. Bedrijven moeten erop kunnen vertrouwen dat hun overheid hen niet blootstelt aan bedrijven die de mensenrechten schenden.

NRC publiceerde op 17 januari naar aanleiding van het onderzoek van The Rights Forum en SOMO een artikel over het ontmoedigingsbeleid. Dat is hier te lezen.

Verslag Tweede Kamer debatteert over Gaza en ontmoedigingsbeleid

Ontmoedigingsbeleid
De Partij voor de Dieren diende naar aanleiding van ons onderzoek twee moties in. In één van de moties verzocht de partij de regering om zich in te zetten voor sancties tegen bedrijven die actief zijn in nederzettingen, naar voorbeeld van maatregelen tegen de Russische bezetting van Oekraïens grondgebied. Deze motie kreeg steun van de SP, DENK, Partij voor de Dieren, GroenLinks-PvdA, Volt en D66. Dat was onvoldoende om aangenomen te worden.
 
De tweede motie riep de regering op actief toe te zien dat bedrijven niet actief zijn in de nederzettingen en bedrijven die dat toch doen niet te faciliteren. Deze motie werd gesteund door de SP, DENK, Partij voor de Dieren, NSC, GL-PvdA, Volt, D66 en het CDA. Ook dat was net te weinig om te worden aangenomen.
 
Uitzonderingspositie Israël
De VVD, de partij die zich presenteert als de partij van ‘law and order’, stemde dus tégen moties die oproepen tot actief overheidsoptreden tegen landdiefstal en witwassen van met criminele activiteiten verkregen opbrengsten. Daarmee schuift de VVD, net als de PVV, ChristenUnie en BBB, opnieuw het recht terzijde als het om Israël gaat.
 
Een motie van de SP die oproept tot een staakt het vuren werd verworpen, onder meer door tegenstemmen van NSC, CDA, VVD en BBB. Datzelfde lot trof een motie van GL-PvdA die de regering verzoekt om een uitspraak van het Internationaal Gerechtshof te respecteren en de naleving daarvan te bevorderen. Een meerderheid van de Kamer stemde tegen, op advies van CDA-minister Bruins Slot. Een groot deel van de Nederlandse politiek weigert daarmee toe te zeggen dat het mee zal werken aan een uitspraak van de hoogste internationale rechter.
 
Enkele positieve noten
Tegelijkertijd kreeg een door de BBB ingediende motie om de tegen Israël ingediende aanklacht wegens genocide op voorhand te verwerpen óók geen meerderheid in de Tweede Kamer, ondanks steun van de VVD, PVV en BBB. Een laatste positieve noot is dat moties van Volt tegen uithongering als oorlogsmiddel en van de SP voor luchtdroppingen van hulpgoederen wél werden aangenomen.
 
We zullen de komende dagen in een artikel uitgebreider ingaan op het Kamerdebat en de stemmingen over de moties.

Wij strijden tegen oorlogsmisdaden, annexatie, bezetting en onderdrukking. Helpt u mee?

Livestream Volg de zitting van het hoger beroep in de F-35-zaak

De rechter wees medio december onze eis voor een exportstop af. Hij oordeelde dat de minister formeel niet verplicht was om de eerder verleende vergunning opnieuw te toetsen aan het risico op ernstige schendingen van het internationaal recht.

Daar tekenden wij beroep tegen aan. Zowel vanwege de plicht die Nederland heeft onder belangrijke verdragen – zoals ter voorkoming van genocide – als vanwege ernstige bezwaren die wij plaatsen bij de wijze waarop de Staat met exportvergunningen omgaat.

Actie tegen foute beleggingen pensioenfondsen gaat door

De actie, in de vorm van een standaardbrief die iedereen zelf naar de pensioenfondsen kan sturen, is tot nu toe een groot succes. Talloze individuele leden, evenals hele organisaties die bij PFZW of ABP zijn aangesloten, hebben ons laten weten dat zij mee hebben gedaan. Net als wij eisen zij dat de twee pensioenfondsen de miljarden euro's die zij hebben belegd in bedrijven die actief zijn in Israëls nederzettingen stopzetten.

Amsterdam Gezamenlijke wake voor een onmiddellijk staakt-het-vuren

Tientallen Palestijnen en Israëliërs met grote zorgen over de oorlog in Gaza komen zaterdag 20 januari om 17.00 uur bijeen voor een gezamenlijke wake voor de Stopera in Amsterdam. Zij roepen op tot een onmiddellijk staakt-het-vuren, een einde aan het massale geweld tegen Palestijnse burgers en wederzijdse empathie en erkenning.

Datum en tijd: 20 januari, 17.00 uur.
Locatie: Amstel 7, Amsterdam, voor de Stopera
De organisatoren vragen vriendelijk om geen vlaggen, spandoeken of protestborden te tonen. In de geest van het delen van ons verdriet vragen we deelnemers zwart te dragen.

De locatie kan veranderen. Houd Instagram in de gaten voor updates: @oyveyamsterdam.

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #96

Damaged roads and intense hostilities are among the challenges faced by humanitarian workers struggling to support people in need across Gaza. A United Nations car driving on a damaged road in Deir al Balah. Photo by OCHA/Olga Cherevko, 18 January 2024

19 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 18 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and destruction. The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza continued. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. On 17 January, the UN Secretary-General repeated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 17 and 18 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 172 Palestinians were killed, and another 326 people were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 18 January 2024, at least 24,620 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 61,830 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• Between 17 January and 18 January, no Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. Since the start of the ground operation, 191 soldiers have been killed, and 1,178 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• As of 18 January, telecommunication services in Gaza have remained shut down for the sixth consecutive day, since 12 January. In light of this, new information is limited in this Flash Update. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. The blackout of telecommunications prevents people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information or calling for first responders and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
• The availability of water for drinking and domestic use in Gaza is shrinking each day. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines is functional, yielding less than half (22,000 cubic metres a day) of what would have been available if all lines were working (For more information see Water, Sanitation and Hygiene section).
• On 18 January, the non-governmental organization Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that: “This morning, at around 6am, the compound in Gaza housing staff members of the Emergency Medical Team from MAP and the International Rescue Team (IRC) was severely damaged as a result of a missile strike. A number of team members & the compound’s security guard suffered non-life-threatening injuries.” The team had been providing surgery and other medical treatment supporting the overstretched medical staff in Nasser hospital. Following the strike, they have been evacuated and can no longer continue working at the hospital. This reported attack and subsequent move of staff further compromise the already frail capacity in the over-congested hospital.
• As of 18 January, the MoH in Gaza stated that over 8,000 cases of viral Hepatitis A resulting from overcrowding in shelters had been recorded. The number of hepatitis cases is expected to double in overcrowded shelters. Additionally, due to the lack of access to hospitals, 60,000 pregnant women are at risk of not receiving adequate care in case of complications. Hundreds of cases of miscarriages and premature births have been reported since the outbreak of hostilities. 
• On 18 January, the Israeli military confirmed that it had removed corpses from a graveyard in Khan Younis, as it suspected hostages may have been buried there. This follows reports on 17 January, at about 7:00, when Israeli forces withdrew from the vicinity of Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis and subsequent reports and video footage show that much of the An Namsawi cemetery was destroyed and graves with corpses missing.
• On 18 January, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban said: “Once aid enters the Gaza Strip, our ability to distribute it becomes a matter of life and death. It is essential to lift access restrictions, ensure reliable ground communications, and facilitate the movement of humanitarian supplies to ensure that those who have been without assistance for several days receive much-needed assistance. We have to get commercial traffic flowing in Gaza, so that markets can reopen, and families are less dependent on relief.”

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The communications shutdown has limited the full reporting of incidents. However, the following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 17 January:  
  • On 17 January, at about 15:30, three Palestinian IDPs, including one child, were reportedly killed when a group was struck west of Rafah.
  • On 17 January, at about 23:00, 19 Palestinians, including at least eight children and six women, were reportedly killed when a house was struck near the Al Bahabsa Mosque area, in Al Geneina neighbourhood, east of Rafah.
• On 17 January, Israeli forces detonated explosives and destroyed the Israa University in Madinat Az Zahraa, south Gaza city. Reportedly, for the past 70 days, the building had been used by the Israeli military as a military base and an ad hoc detention facility for interrogating Palestinian detainees before their transfer to an unknown location.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 18 January, according to UNRWA, 1.7 million people were estimated to be internally displaced. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data on the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has been severely restricted. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. These resulted in multiple registration of the same IDPs in multiple shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters as soon as the security situation allows.
• Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, only 15 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: nine in the south and six in the north. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

• The availability of water in Gaza is shrinking each day. According to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) humanitarian partners, water availability through the municipal wells is presently at a tenth (21,200 cubic metres a day) of its production capacity prior to the escalation of hostilities (255,000 cubic metres a day). Water from these wells is known to be substandard given it is brackish (salty) water and whereas water from the Israeli-operated lines yielded the most optimal safe drinking water prior to the hostilities. At present, only one of the three Israeli lines – the Bani Said point – is functional, yielding less than half (22,000 cubic metres a day) of what would have been available if all lines were working. 
• Furthermore, water availability through the short-term desalination plants presently stands at seven per cent (1,600 cubic metres per day) of the pre-crisis capacity (22,000 cubic metres per day). Due to import restrictions on critical items, water testing kits and chlorine to treat the water across Gaza are presently unavailable. Furthermore, the amalgamation of solid waste and fecal waste, exacerbated by rains and floods, is giving rise to severe health and environmental threats. With WHO already reporting 152,000 cases of diarrhoea, the inability to do water chlorination to kill bacteria is aggravating the already concerning situation. At present, Health and WASH partners have developed an Acute Watery Diarrhoea preparedness and response plan. Barriers to the import of critical items must be resolved to enable adequate response.

Humanitarian Access

• On 17 January, 98 truckloads with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Since the opening of Kerem Shalom crossing, almost 22 per cent of aid trucks have come in through that entry point.
• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. Two additional missions, originally coordinated with the Israeli authorities, could not be completed due to the non-viability of allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints, which did not allow the missions to succeed during the safe operating windows. 
• The denials of humanitarian missions’ access to areas north of Wadi Gaza over the first half of January spiked compared with the previous months; in October and December 2023, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. Additionally, planned missions that are denied access to areas north of Wadi Gaza represent opportunities missed for alternative missions that could be undertaken to other areas of the Gaza Strip. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 18 January, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in two separate incidents during ongoing Israeli military operations in Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps close to Tulkarm city. This brings to eight, including two children, the number of Palestinians killed in both camps over the past two days, and the number of injuries to at least 26. Throughout the operation, reportedly there was an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians, throwing of pipe bombs by Palestinians and the use of airstrikes by Israeli forces. In both camps as well as in Tulkarm city, Israeli forces reportedly detonated and demolished at least three Palestinian houses, bulldozed road infrastructure, leading to cut-offs in water and electricity, and in some cases delayed access of ambulances to evacuate the injured and dead. Initial information indicate that dozens of houses sustained minor to moderate damage and at least 300 Palestinians were detained and interrogated.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, 357 Palestinians have been killed, including 90 children, across 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 the fatalities in the West Bank (357), 348 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one by either Israeli forces or settlers. So far in 2024 (as of 18 January), 48 Palestinians, including nine children, have been killed. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, 4,252 Palestinians, including 645 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,121 have been injured by Israeli forces, 110 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 53 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, OCHA recorded 433 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (42 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (338 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (53 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents since 7 October 2023 until 17 January 2024.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024, 478 Palestinians, including 239 children, have been displaced, following the demolition of their homes, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 19 homes have been demolished and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 18 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of the same year, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 602 Palestinians, including 263 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 94 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 94 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, and in Nur Shams and Tulkarm, both in Tulkarm. This represents 65 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 16 January, Member States have disbursed $689.8 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 57 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 7-14 January

Health

Needs:

• According to WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
• A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
• Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
• The maternity unit at Al-Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases

Response:

• Eleven Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.
• Health and WASH partners are finalizing an inter-cluster outbreak preparedness and response plan; and are mapping out formal and informal shelters which are without access to primary healthcare services, to identify partners to cover the gaps.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The security situation, access, transport, and deconfliction remain extremely challenging, especially hospitals in the northern governorates. 
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected by the displacement of staff and also telecommunication challenges.
• There is an urgent need to conduct assessments on the outbreak of communicable diseases, such Hepatitis A, to identify the most affected groups, hotspot locations and other key epidemiological information. This is essential to tailor a proper response plan to address identified cases and prevent the spread of disease.

WASH

Needs:

• Flooding is being reported across different parts of the Gaza Strip due to winter weather, extensive infrastructure damage and destruction and the clogging of sewage systems and wastewater. 
• Rainwater lagoons have been contaminated by wastewater and several lagoons are at risk of flooding if the rainfall intensifies. This poses a serious environmental and public health concern. 
• WHO reported an increase in Hepatitis A cases in the Middle Area and Rafah governorates, with the current water and sanitation conditions proving a high risk for further spread.
• To manage water supply and waste-management alone, 22 generators have been requested. These items are pending entry into Gaza. 
• Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel is currently functioning. The Middle Area water pipeline, with a production capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, needs repairs. It is estimated that repairs would take up to four weeks, even given sustained access and necessary supplies. 
• Only two of the remaining three main low-capacity water desalination plants in Deir al Balah and southern Gaza are currently operational and are producing up to 2,400 cubic metres each day. 

Response:

• Despite these challenges, WASH partners have undertaken the following responses since October 2023:  
  • Some 34,000 cubic metres of water have been delivered through water trucking and 2,400 metres through bottled water. 
  • More than 53,000 jerrycans and more than 40 storage tanks have been distributed. 
  • Nearly 145,000 hygiene kits and 1,800 cleaning kits have been distributed.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 

Protection

Needs: 

• Hundreds of detainees who have been released and returned to Gaza since December 2023, need support. Some were able to return to families while others moved to shelters.
• There is a need for safe shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). 
• There is still a high demand for women’s hygiene supplies across Gaza.

Response: 

• Protection partners continue to support formerly detained Gazans released through Kerem Shalom Crossing. Partners provide a support package comprised of food, water, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies as well as medical care and treatment. The long-term needs include advanced mental health and psychosocial support. 
• The GBV Sub cluster is coordinating the distribution of critical hygiene supplies for women and girls to the northern governorates, coordinating with relevant actors for distribution, procurement, and access. 
• The sub cluster will also review the composition of dignity kits based on changing needs and feedback from women. 
• Women Affairs Centre is preparing an assessment on the impact of current hostilities on women and girls, and the sub cluster will prepare for a wider scale assessment, including elements that can be used in any future intersectoral needs assessments. 
• Mine Action partners continue to conduct outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Communication and network outages greatly curtailed the ongoing lifesaving Mine Action work, including outreach and mine risk education and conflict preparedness messages shared via SMS, radio, and social media. Partners continue to carry on outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• As of 14th January, it is estimated that about 70,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. 
• It is estimated that over 500,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnant of war (ERW). 

Response: 

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed 1,000 tents and tarpaulin sheets in addition to 2,000 blankets.

Challenges and Gaps:

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs:

• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • 378,000 people at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response: 

• During the second week of January, 12 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners reached some 800,0000 people (considering possible duplication) with at least one type of food assistance. This does not imply sustained assistance nor the full package which people require to address their food insecurity needs. (This is a correction of a typographical error from what was reported in yesterday’s Flash Update (15 January), where it was stated that 1.8 million people were reached with one type of food assistance.)
• Some 13,000 people residing in UNRWA shelters and another 12,500 residing in public shelters were reached with hot meals, to alleviate the hunger and hardships faced by those displaced and in dire circumstances in the northern area. 
• In the south, FSS partners reached 290,000 IDPs in Rafah, Khan Younis, and the Middle areas through food parcels, bread supplies, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals. Flour was additionally provided to some 270,000 households residing outside UNRWA shelters. 

Challenges and gaps: 

• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs: 

• Given the current stock and funding situation, Nutrition partners can only meet 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Response: 

• UNICEF and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, alongside preventative nutrition supplies, including High Energy Biscuits (HEBs). During the second week of January 2024, nutrition partners delivered the following:  
  • Partners distributed 5,978 Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) boxes, 638 Survival food ration and 2,063 ready-to-eat (RTE) therapeutic food. 
  • Over 33,407 pregnant and nursing women and children under two received LNS supply for one month and sensitization materials in 24 UNRWA shelters in Rafah. 
  • Five nutrition staff were trained in Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
  • (IYCF-E) and in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) while 12 triage staff were trained in Mother-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening aiming for caregivers and health workers to screen for acute malnutrition in children.

Education

Needs: 

• According to the Education Cluster, more than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by attacks on education and school closures since 7 October 2023, and remain with no access to education or a safe place. 
• According to the Ministry of Education in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024, 4,119 students and 221 teachers were killed, while 7,536 students and 703 teachers injured across the Gaza Strip. 
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and have sustained varying levels of damage. Of these, 375 schools sustained damage including 12 that were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools.

Response: 

• The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities. 
• Since October 2023, nine partners have reached close to 93,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies and activities in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• No activities have been undertaken in the three northern governorates of Gaza, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges. 
• In the first week of January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside. 

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MCPA)

• Since the beginning of the hostilities, 118,200 households (about 787,233 people) have received emergency MPCA. 
• Although cash assistance has been provided to affected people across the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of cash assistance activities are now concentrated in the southern governorates. 
• Because formal markets are largely depleted, informal markets are now the key sources of basics goods and services. This includes trading of personal belongings, small household-based production (bread, vegetables), humanitarian assistance, and other items. 
• Post distribution monitoring data from recipients of cash assistance point to food, medicines, debt repayment, drinking water, and transportation as the top expenditures reported. The percentage of expenditures on food has further decreased over the past weeks, while the percentage of expenditures on medicines has doubled. Some 70 per cent of the respondents report that unrestricted cash has helped them access needed goods and services, either fully or partially, while 87 per cent preferred unrestricted cash for future assistance.

Logistics

• On 11 January, Logistics Cluster provided access to an additional warehouse in Rafah with a 400 square metre capacity, bringing the total space available for partners’ storage in Rafah to 1,470 square metres across three warehouses. 
• Transport services are ongoing from the Rafah Transshipment Point to the Logistics Cluster warehouses in Rafah, as well as the cargo notification service to notify partners once their cargo arrives in Rafah.
• The Logistics Cluster is engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan to initiate discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published the updated bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs: 

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have been shut down since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. 
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response: 

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 11 January, the ETC submitted two letters with detailed specifications of the equipment to be imported into Gaza. 
• The ETC deployed an ICT Specialist to Gaza on 8 January for an initial technical engagement with local actors to plan an initial ICT needs assessment and to set up technical coordination processes for the response. 
• Since 9 January, the ETC is conducting technical support to partner agencies in Rafah that include United Nations agencies and international NGOs to improve their telecommunications platforms.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. 
• Attacks on telecommunication infrastructures and services providers remain a huge challenge to restore the telecommunication services in Gaza. On 13 January, a telecommunications company vehicle was reportedly struck in central Khan Younis, although the crew was on a repair mission and had secured security coordination. Two staff were reportedly killed.

Israel’s unrelenting assault continues – ‘If we’re not killed by bombs, we die from the cold, starvation, or disease’ & more

Today's headlines

Israel’s unrelenting assault continues – ‘If we’re not killed by bombs, we die from the cold, starvation, or disease’

Leila Warah

As Palestinians in Gaza continue to be starved and bombed by Israel, the U.S. has designated Yemen's Ansar Allah group as terrorists in hopes of intimidating their resistance against Israel's ongoing aggression.

The shocking inhumanity of Israel’s crimes in Gaza

Tareq S. Hajjaj

Survivors of Israel’s ground invasion in northern Gaza tell chilling stories of kidnappings, torture, and the rampant use of civilians as bait and human shields. The world still has no idea how inhumane Israel’s genocidal war really has been.

Mr. President Biden, I hold you responsible for killing my mother

Hassan El-Nabih

My beloved mother passed away on December 1, 2023. She was unable to receive the intensive care she needed because Gaza's hospitals had been rendered unusable. I hold President Joe Biden responsible for her death.

Palestine solidarity protests face repression in Modi’s India

Mohammad Asif Khan and Aisha Siddiqui

Since October 7, there have been protests across India in support of the Palestinians and Israel, with much different responses from authorities. Palestine solidarity activists have faced a brutal crackdown, while Israel's allies have had a free hand.

18 januari 2024

In a landmark federal lawsuit coming up for a hearing on Friday, Jan. 26, Palestinians are suing President Biden for enabling the genocide of their people.

“The death count is unfathomable to me,” says one Palestinian plaintiff who has family in Gaza. “To be no longer in the dozens, nor the hundreds, even the thousands, and now the tens of thousands is something that I don’t have the capacity to process. I really can’t even count the dead, people under the rubble, or picture children dying from starvation.”

You and I have been waiting for this moment to confront Biden for fueling the gravest of war crimes against the Palestinian people.

The Biden administration has been guilty of fueling this genocide every step of the way—sending weapons to Israel, blocking a ceasefire at the UN, repeating dehumanizing disinformation, and engaging in genocide denial.

WE CHARGE GENOCIDE! On the day of the hearing, Friday, Jan. 26, make sure everyone in your community knows that Biden is getting sued for enabling genocide. Sign up to participate in the International Day of Action now.

Here are ways you can take action:

• Organize a local ceasefire rally or protest targeting your elected official.
• Host a local viewing of the livestream of the court hearing on Friday, Jan. 26. Livestream details from the Center for Constitutional Rights are coming soon.
• Think up another creative action to demand the courts hold U.S. government leaders accountable for their complicity in genocide.

AHMAD ABUZNAID

Executive Director

REGISTER FOR THE LIVE FROM JERICHO WEBINAR

18 januari 2024

On Wednesday, January 31st at 12PM ET, Eyewitness Palestine has partnered with the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), based in Palestine, to host a "Voices of Women Under Occupation" webinar. This webinar will include staff from WCLAC, who will talk about the work they do throughout historic Palestine. The staff will also be joined by Palestinian women who will share their stories about life under occupation. To join this webinar, please register at the link below.

REGISTER FOR THE LIVE FROM JERICHO WEBINAR

Corrigendum
Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #95

18 januari 2024

Please note that we have rectified the number of truckloads with food, medicine and other supplies that entered Gaza on 17 January in Flash Update #95. The correct number is 98. You can refer to the latest version of OCHA’s Flash Update #95 available here:

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #95

“I wish the war would end soon. I want to go back to my school. I miss my teachers and my friends,” Maha (11), Rafah. Over 625,000 students remain with no access to education or safety. Most schools in Gaza are damaged, destroyed or used to accommodate displaced people. Photo by UNICEF/Eyad El Baba, 8 January 2024

18 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 17 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and destruction. The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza continued. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza. On 17 January, the UN Secretary-General repeated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 16 and 17 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 163 Palestinians were killed, and another 350 people were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 17 January 2024, at least 24,448 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 61,504 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• Between 16 January and 17 January, three Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza. Since the start of the ground operation, 191 soldiers have been killed, and 1,152 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• As of 17 January, telecommunication services in Gaza have remained shut down for the fifth consecutive day, since 12 January. In light of this, new information is limited in this Flash Update. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. The blackout of telecommunications prevents people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information or calling for first responders, and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
• As of 15 January, the Deir al Balah water pipeline, with a capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of per day, stopped functioning and is in urgent need of repairs. Water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) partners have estimated that repairs could take up to four weeks, even if sustained access and the necessary supplies are allowed. Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel into Gaza, located in the south, is currently functioning.
• Between 16 and 17 January, the Khan Younis area was reportedly under heavy bombardment with intense fighting on the ground, with many casualties reported. Residential buildings, a cemetery (see Hostilities section for more information) and hospitals are among the civilian objects affected by the fighting.
• On 16 January, at about 18:30, the vicinities of Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis were struck, and serious damages were caused to the building, leading to panic among patients, medical teams, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). No casualties were reported. On 16 January, at about 22:20 and onwards, continuous artillery shelling struck the vicinity of An Nasser Medical Complex, with some munitions falling inside the compound and no casualties reported.
• On 17 January, the Jordanian Army quoted in media stated that their field hospital in Khan Younis was heavily damaged and one of its staff members and one patient were injured, amid shelling by Israeli forces in the area. Israeli officials deny this claim and state that Palestinian were firing from within the compound.  
• On 17 January, 225 truckloads with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Since the opening of Kerem Shalom crossing, almost 22 per cent of aid trucks have come in through that entry point. 
• On 17 January, 11 Palestinians, including two children, were killed in two military operations in the Nablus and Tulkarm governorates, in the West Bank. Nine of the Palestinians, including two children, were killed in airstrikes and the other two people were killed with live ammunition. For more information, see the West Bank section.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The communications shutdown has limited the full reporting of incidents. However, the following are among the deadliest incidents reported between 16 January and 17 January. 

• On 16 January, throughout the day, 23 Palestinians were reportedly killed as about 12 residential squares were struck in many locations in central, west, southeast, and east of Khan Younis.
• On 16 January, at about 13:40, a woman and her daughter were reportedly killed when a group of Palestinians were struck west of Rafah.
• On 16 January, in the afternoon, at least 20 bodies of killed Palestinians were reportedly recovered from under the rubble of a destroyed buildings in Al Maghazi and An Nuseirat camp areas. 
• On 16 January, at about 2:35, eight Palestinians, including two girls, were reportedly killed and dozens were injured when a house was struck and destroyed near Al Abrar Mosque, between Al Haboura camp and Yabna camp, in central Rafah.
• On 16 January, at night, seven Palestinian were reportedly killed when a residential building was struck in An Nasmawi neighbourhood, adjacent to the Nasser Medical Complex, west of Khan Younis.
• On 17 January, at about 7:00, the vicinity of Tariq bin Ziyad School, west of Khan Younis, was struck. Seven bodies of Palestinian were reportedly recovered after the attack.

On 17 January, at about 7:00, Israeli forces withdrew from the vicinity of Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis. Initial reports and video footage show that much of the Al Namsawi cemetery was destroyed and graves empty with some corpses reportedly missing.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 17 January, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, stated: “In the south, around Rafah, makeshift structures of plastic sheeting have mushroomed everywhere, including on the streets, with people trying to protect themselves from the cold and rain. Each one of these flimsy shelters can be home to over 20 people. Rafah is so congested that one can barely drive a car amid the sea of people… In Deir al Balah, in the Middle Area… I heard stories of women foregoing food and water to avoid having to use the unsanitary toilets. Skin diseases and headlice are rife with those affected stigmatized. People were struggling for food and medicine during the day, feeling cold and damp during the night… There is very little information about the north of the Gaza Strip, as access to the area remains highly restricted.”
• As of 11 January, according to UNRWA, 1.9 million people, or nearly 85 per cent of Gaza’s population, were estimated to be internally displaced, including many who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Nearly 1.4 million IDPs are sheltering in 154 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates, including 160,000 in the north and Gaza city; facilities far are exceeding their intended capacity. A total of 1.78 million IDPs are receiving assistance from UNRWA. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip-Northern Gaza)

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. Two additional missions, originally coordinated with the Israeli authorities, could not be completed due to the non-viability of allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints, which did not allow the missions to succeed during the safe operating windows. 
• The denials of humanitarian missions’ access to areas north of Wadi Gaza over the first half of January spiked compared with the previous months; in October and December, only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. Additionally, planned missions that are denied access to areas north of Wadi Gaza represent opportunities missed for alternative missions that could be undertaken to other areas of the Gaza Strip. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• Initial reports on 17 January indicate that a missile reportedly struck the UNRWA health clinic in Ad Daraj, in Gaza city. Further details on the impact of the projectile are yet to be established.
• According to WHO, only 15 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are functional, albeit partially: nine in the south and six in the north. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• On 17 January, WHO Health Emergency Officer, Sean Casey, said: “We are working on mobilizing additional field hospitals, additional healthcare workers to backfill some of the people who have been displaced, the health workers who themselves are fearing for their lives and to meet the significantly increased burden of care that is created by injuries related to the hostilities and to the atrocious living conditions that people are under now. To summarize what I’ve seen: a rapid deterioration of the health system alongside a rapidly increasing level of humanitarian need and diminishing level of humanitarian access, particularly the areas north of Rafah. Every movement presents risks and logistical challenges.”

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimated that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.
• On 15 January, the Secretary-General reiterated his call for the release of all hostages: “I once again demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. In the interim, they must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits and assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The accounts of sexual violence committed by Hamas and others on October 7th must be rigorously investigated and prosecuted. Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring, and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets towards civilian targets.”

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• On 17 January, Israeli forces killed six Palestinians, including two children, in an airstrike that they carried out while operating in Tulkarm Refugee Camp. In the early morning, Israeli forces raided the camp, where clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians, including an exchange of gunfire and the use of explosive devices by the latter was reported. Subsequently, an Israeli airstrike targeted a group of Palestinians, killing four, including two children. During the operation, seven Palestinians, including two PCRS paramedics, and one Israeli soldier had been injured. An ambulance was severely damaged by shrapnel and two Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) paramedics were detained by Israeli forces. Israeli forces bulldozed several roads inside and the camp, surrounded the hospitals in Tulkarm city and obstructed the movement of medical crews. During the raid, Israeli forces opened fire at a vehicle, killing one Palestinian and injuring another. An additional Palestinian was shot with live ammunition and was later pronounced dead.
• On 17 January, Israeli forces killed five Palestinian in an airstrike on a vehicle near the entrance of Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus city. Four of the bodies are being withheld by Israeli forces. The fifth body was incinerated by the airstrike. Israeli forces reportedly prevented PRCS ambulances from accessing the location and opened fire at them. According to the Israeli authorities, a vehicle that carried Palestinians accused of conducting attacks against Israelis was targeted. Two hours before the airstrike, Israeli forces conducted an operation in Balata Refugee Camp, in which they raided a number of Palestinian homes. Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians also erupted during the operation, including the throwing of pipe bombs by the latter. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 355 Palestinians have been killed, including 90 children, across 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 the fatalities in the West Bank (355), 346 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one by either Israeli forces or settlers. So far in 2024 (as of 17 January), 46 Palestinians, including nine children, have been killed. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack perpetrated by Palestinians in Israel on 15 January 2024. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank (36) was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 4,234 Palestinians, including 643 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,104 have been injured by Israeli forces, 109 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 53 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, OCHA recorded 431 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (41 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (337 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (53 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents since 7 October 2023 until 17 January 2024.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023 have involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• From 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 460 Palestinians, including 227 children, have been displaced, following the demolition of their homes, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 19 homes have been demolished and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of the same year, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 17 January 2024, 602 Palestinians, including 263 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 94 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 94 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, and in Nur Shams and Tulkarm, both in Tulkarm. This represents 65 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 16 January, Member States have disbursed $689.8 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 57 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 7-14 January

Health

Needs:

• According to WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following:
• A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
• Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
• The maternity unit at Al-Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases

Response:

• Eleven Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.
• Health and WASH partners are finalizing an inter-cluster outbreak preparedness and response plan; and are mapping out formal and informal shelters which are without access to primary healthcare services, to identify partners to cover the gaps.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The security situation, access, transport, and deconfliction remain extremely challenging, especially hospitals in the northern governorates. 
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected by the displacement of staff and also telecommunication challenges.
• There is an urgent need to conduct assessments on the outbreak of communicable diseases, such Hepatitis A, to identify the most affected groups, hotspot locations and other key epidemiological information. This is essential to tailor a proper response plan to address identified cases and prevent the spread of disease.

WASH

Needs:

• Flooding is being reported across different parts of the Gaza Strip due to winter weather, extensive infrastructure damage and destruction and the clogging of sewage systems and wastewater. 
• Rainwater lagoons have been contaminated by wastewater and several lagoons are at risk of flooding if the rainfall intensifies. This poses a serious environmental and public health concern. 
• WHO reported an increase in Hepatitis A cases in the Middle Area and Rafah governorates, with the current water and sanitation conditions proving a high risk for further spread.
• To manage water supply and waste-management alone, 22 generators have been requested. These items are pending entry into Gaza. 
• Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel is currently functioning. The Middle Area water pipeline, with a production capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, needs repairs. It is estimated that repairs would take up to four weeks, even given sustained access and necessary supplies. 
• Only two of the remaining three main low-capacity water desalination plants in Deir al Balah and southern Gaza are currently operational and are producing up to 2,400 cubic metres each day. 

Response:

• Despite these challenges, WASH partners have undertaken the following responses since October 2023:  
  • Some 34,000 cubic metres of water have been delivered through water trucking and 2,400 metres through bottled water. 
  • More than 53,000 jerrycans and more than 40 storage tanks have been distributed. 
  • Nearly 145,000 hygiene kits and 1,800 cleaning kits have been distributed.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in the UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 

Protection

Needs: 

• Hundreds of detainees who have been released and returned to Gaza since December 2023, need support. Some were able to return to families while others moved to shelters.
• There is a need for safe shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). 
• There is still a high demand for women’s hygiene supplies across Gaza.

Response: 

• Protection partners continue to support formerly detained Gazans released through Kerem Shalom Crossing. Partners provide a support package comprised of food, water, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies as well as medical care and treatment. The long-term needs include advanced mental health and psychosocial support. 
• The GBV Sub cluster is coordinating the distribution of critical hygiene supplies for women and girls to the northern governorates, coordinating with relevant actors for distribution, procurement, and access. 
• The sub cluster will also review the composition of dignity kits based on changing needs and feedback from women. 
• Women Affairs Centre is preparing an assessment on the impact of current hostilities on women and girls, and the sub cluster will prepare for a wider scale assessment, including elements that can be used in any future intersectoral needs assessments. 
• Mine Action partners continue to conduct outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Communication and network outages greatly curtailed the ongoing lifesaving Mine Action work, including outreach and mine risk education and conflict preparedness messages shared via SMS, radio, and social media. Partners continue to carry on outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• As of 14th January, it is estimated that about 70,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. 
• It is estimated that over 500,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnant of war (ERW). 

Response: 

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed 1,000 tents and tarpaulin sheets in addition to 2,000 blankets.

Challenges and Gaps:

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs:

• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • 378,000 people at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response:

• During the second week of January, 12 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners reached some 800,0000 people (considering possible duplication) with at least one type of food assistance. This does not imply sustained assistance nor the full package which people require to address their food insecurity needs. (This is a correction of a typographical error from what was reported in yesterday’s Flash Update (15 January), where it was stated that 1.8 million people were reached with one type of food assistance.)
• Some 13,000 people residing in UNRWA shelters and another 12,500 residing in public shelters were reached with hot meals, to alleviate the hunger and hardships faced by those displaced and in dire circumstances in the northern area. 
• In the south, FSS partners reached 290,000 IDPs in Rafah, Khan Younis, and the Middle areas through food parcels, bread supplies, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals. Flour was additionally provided to some 270,000 households residing outside UNRWA shelters. 

Challenges and gaps: 

• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs: 

• Given the current stock and funding situation, Nutrition partners can only meet 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Response: 

• UNICEF and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, alongside preventative nutrition supplies, including High Energy Biscuits (HEBs). During the second week of January 2024, nutrition partners delivered the following:  
  • Partners distributed 5,978 Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) boxes, 638 Survival food ration and 2,063 ready-to-eat (RTE) therapeutic food. 
  • Over 33,407 pregnant and nursing women and children under two received LNS supply for one month and sensitization materials in 24 UNRWA shelters in Rafah. 
  • Five nutrition staff were trained in Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
  • (IYCF-E) and in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) while 12 triage staff were trained in Mother-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening aiming for caregivers and health workers to screen for acute malnutrition in children.

Education

Needs: 

• According to the Education Cluster, more than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by attacks on education and school closures since 7 October 2023, and remain with no access to education or a safe place. 
• According to the Ministry of Education in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024, 4,119 students and 221 teachers were killed, while 7,536 students and 703 teachers injured across the Gaza Strip. 
• Some 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and have sustained varying levels of damage. Of these, 375 schools sustained damage including 12 that were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools.

Response: 

• The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities. 
• Since October 2023, nine partners have reached close to 93,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies and activities in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• No activities have been undertaken in the three northern governorates of Gaza, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges. 
• In the first week of January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside. 

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MCPA)

• Since the beginning of the hostilities, 118,200 households (about 787,233 people) have received emergency MPCA. 
• Although cash assistance has been provided to affected people across the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of cash assistance activities are now concentrated in the southern governorates. 
• Because formal markets are largely depleted, informal markets are now the key sources of basics goods and services. This includes trading of personal belongings, small household-based production (bread, vegetables), humanitarian assistance, and other items. 
• Post distribution monitoring data from recipients of cash assistance point to food, medicines, debt repayment, drinking water, and transportation as the top expenditures reported. The percentage of expenditures on food has further decreased over the past weeks, while the percentage of expenditures on medicines has doubled. Some 70 per cent of the respondents report that unrestricted cash has helped them access needed goods and services, either fully or partially, while 87 per cent preferred unrestricted cash for future assistance.

Logistics

• On 11 January, Logistics Cluster provided access to an additional warehouse in Rafah with a 400 square metre capacity, bringing the total space available for partners’ storage in Rafah to 1,470 square metres across three warehouses. 
• Transport services are ongoing from the Rafah Transshipment Point to the Logistics Cluster warehouses in Rafah, as well as the cargo notification service to notify partners once their cargo arrives in Rafah.
• The Logistics Cluster is engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan to initiate discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published the updated bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs: 

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have been shut down since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. 
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response: 

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 11 January, the ETC submitted two letters with detailed specifications of the equipment to be imported into Gaza. 
• The ETC deployed an ICT Specialist to Gaza on 8 January for an initial technical engagement with local actors to plan an initial ICT needs assessment and to set up technical coordination processes for the response. 
• Since 9 January, the ETC is conducting technical support to partner agencies in Rafah that include United Nations agencies and international NGOs to improve their telecommunications platforms.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. 
• Attacks on telecommunication infrastructures and services providers remain a huge challenge to restore the telecommunication services in Gaza. On 13 January, a telecommunications company vehicle was reportedly struck in central Khan Younis, although the crew was on a repair mission and had secured security coordination. Two staff were reportedly killed.

18 januari 2024

“Palestine in Session” coming back Friday to discuss “A Textbook Case of Genocide: Israeli Accountability & U.S. Complicity”

18 januari 2024

For over 100 days, Israel has engaged in a brutal and large-scale military assault on one of the most densely populated places on earth, the besieged Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip has approximately 2.3 million people, almost half of whom are children, and about 80% of whom are refugees, dispossessed from their homes and homeland, and denied their basic rights guaranteed under international law.

Genocide is the gravest of crimes under international law. Israeli officials have expressed a clear genocidal intent, from dehumanizing language such as “human animals,” to intensifying the siege, to heavy bombardment on refugee camps, civilian infrastructure, and hospitals, among other genocidal acts.

This webinar will focus on the legal definition of genocide, as well as its political ramifications, and delve into a discussion on Israeli accountability in the context of South Africa’s submission of its Application to the International Court of Justice, and U.S complicity in the context of the federal complaint in the District Court for the Northern District of California. Moreover, we will highlight the devastating impact on civilians and their livelihoods. Most importantly, we will leave you with words of optimism, hope, and a reaffirmation of Palestinian steadfastness.

17 januari 2024

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel
Flash Update #94

Jerry cans lined up for water filling. With a recently damaged pipeline urgently requiring repairs, only one of the three water lines from Israel is still functioning. UNICEF has warned that children in southern Gaza are accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day, well below the recommended requirements for survival. Photo by UNICEF/Eyad El-Baba, 11 January 2024

17 januari 2024

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 16 January, resulting in further civilian casualties and destruction. The indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza continued, striking the southern Israeli city of Netivot. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups were also reported across much of Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 15 and 16 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 158 Palestinians were killed, and another 320 people were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 16 January 2024, at least 24,285 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 61,154 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH. 
• Between 15 January and 16 January, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza and another soldier succumbed to wounds sustained about a month earlier. Since the start of the ground operation, 188 soldiers have been killed, and 1,135 soldiers have been injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military.
• As of 15 January, only one of the three water pipelines from Israel into Gaza is functioning. The Deir al Balah water pipeline, with a capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, urgently needs repairs. Water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) partners have estimated that repairs could take up to four weeks, even allowing for sustained access and the necessary supplies.
• As of 16 January, telecommunication services in Gaza have remained shut down for the fourth consecutive day, since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. The blackout of telecommunications deprives people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information, preventing people from calling for first responders and impedes other forms of humanitarian response. 
• On 15 January, WFP Executive Director, stated that, “people in Gaza risk dying of hunger just miles from trucks filled with food. Every hour lost puts countless lives at risk. We can keep famine at bay but only if we can deliver sufficient supplies and have safe access to everyone in need, wherever they are.” The latest Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Phase Classification (IPC) report confirmed that the entire population of Gaza, is in ‘crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.’ The same day, the heads of the WFP, UNICEF and WHO, released a joint statement urging the opening of new entry routes, allowing more commodity-border checks each day, easing restrictions on the movement of humanitarian workers and guaranteeing the safety of people accessing and distributing aid. Humanitarian assistance in Gaza is limited by the closure of all but two border crossings in the south (Rafah and Kerem Shalom) and multi-layered vetting process for commodities transported into Gaza.
• On 15 January, UNICEF Executive Director, said that, “children at high risk of dying from malnutrition and disease desperately need medical treatment, clean water, and sanitation services, but the conditions on the ground do not allow us to safely reach children and families in need. Some of the material we desperately need to repair and increase water supply remain restricted from entering Gaza. The lives of children and their families are hanging in the balance. Every minute counts.” UNICEF projects that child wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition, could affect 10,000 children in the next few weeks. Additionally, UNICEF has warned that children in southern Gaza are accessing only 1.5 to 2 litres of water per day, well below the recommended requirements for survival. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of water needed in an emergency is 15 litres, which includes water for drinking, washing, and cooking. For survival alone, the estimated minimum is three litres per day.
• On 16 January, in a joint statement, a number of UN Special Rapporteurs said: “Currently every single person in Gaza is hungry, a quarter of the population are starving and struggling to find food and drinkable water, and famine is imminent. Pregnant women are not receiving adequate nutrition and healthcare, putting their lives at risk. In addition, all children under five – 335,000 – are at high risk of severe malnutrition as the risk of famine conditions continues to increase, a whole generation is now in danger of suffering from stunting.”
• On 15 January 2024, UNRWA announced that, as of 12 January, the total number of UNRWA staff killed since the beginning of hostilities had increased by four to 150. Furthermore, they stated that 232 incidents impacting UNRWA premises and people inside them had been reported since 7 October (some with multiple incidents affecting the same location), including at least 23 incidents of military use of UNRWA premises. A total of 66 UNRWA installations had been directly hit, and 69 different installations had sustained damage from hits to adjacent objects.
• On 15 January, the Secretary-General stated: “Since 7 October, 152 UN staff members have been killed in Gaza – the largest single loss of life in the history of our organization -- a heart-wrenching figure and a source of deep sorrow. Still, aid workers, under enormous pressure and with no safety guarantees, are doing their best to deliver inside Gaza. We continue to call for rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access into and across Gaza.”
• Between 15 and 16 January, 204 trucks with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip through Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings. Since the opening of Kerem Shalom crossing, almost 25 per cent of aid trucks have come in through that entry point. 
• On 16 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) received 25 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent through Rafah crossing containing humanitarian aid, including food, water, medical supplies and other relief items.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 15 January.  

• On 15 January, in the early morning, 20 people, the majority women and children were reported killed, when a house was struck in As Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza city,
• On 15 January, at about 13:30, six people were reportedly killed and 11 injured when a house was struck in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood east of Gaza city. 
• On 15 January, at about 20:00, four people were reportedly killed when Al Bureij Refugee Camp, central Gaza, was struck.
• On 15 January, at about 19:00, 12 people were reportedly killed and another 12 injured when a house was struck between the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah was struck.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 11 January, according to UNRWA, 1.9 million people, or nearly 85 per cent of Gaza’s population, were estimated to be internally displaced, including many who have been displaced multiple times, as families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Nearly 1.4 million IDPs are sheltering in 154 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates, including 160,000 in the north and Gaza city; facilities far exceeding their intended capacity. A total of 1.78 million IDPs are receiving assistance from UNRWA. Rafah governorate is the main refuge for those displaced, with over one million people squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space, following the intensification of hostilities in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah and the Israeli military’s evacuation orders. Obtaining an accurate figure of the total number of IDPs remains challenging.
• On 12 January, UNRWA reported that the average number of  IDPs in UNRWA shelters south of Wadi Gaza was over 12,000 per shelter. This is more than four times their capacity.

Electricity

• Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder the aid community’s efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, please see this dashboard.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip-Northern Gaza)

• In the first two weeks of January, humanitarian agencies planned 29 missions to deliver lifesaving supplies to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Only 7 of the 29 (24 per cent) were accomplished, either fully or partially. The remainder of the missions were denied access by the Israeli authorities. Two additional missions, originally coordinated with the Israeli authorities, could not be completed due to the non-viability of allocated routes or excessive delays at checkpoints, which did not allow the missions to succeed during the safe operating windows. 
• The denials of humanitarian missions to areas north of Wadi Gaza over the first half of January mark a stark decline compared with the previous months (October-December), when only 14 per cent (6 out of 43) of missions planned to the north were denied, while the remaining 86 per cent (37 out of 43 missions) were facilitated. These denials prevent a scale-up in humanitarian assistance and add significant cost to the overall response. Additionally, planned missions that are denied access to areas north of Wadi Gaza represent opportunities missed for alternative missions that could be undertaken to other areas of the Gaza Strip. The capacity of humanitarian agencies to operate safely and effectively also remains heavily compromised by the long-term restrictions applied by the Israeli authorities on the import of critical humanitarian equipment into Gaza.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• According to WHO, only 15 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional; nine in the south and six in the north. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, three hospitals – Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – are at risk of closure due to the issuance of evacuation orders in adjacent areas and the ongoing conduct of hostilities nearby. Hospitals in the north have been offering limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. However, they face challenges such as a shortage of medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies, and have an urgent need for fuel, food, and drinking water. The nine partially functional hospitals in the south are operating at three times their capacity, while facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel. According to the MoH in Gaza, occupancy rates are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• On 15 January, WHO reported that the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis treated 700 patients, double its normal capacity, requiring patients to receive treatment on the floor. The hospital continues to receive high volume of trauma and burn cases while the intensive care unit (ICU) and burns unit are severely understaffed, delaying lifesaving treatment. About 7,000 people are reportedly sheltering on the hospital grounds. The intensification of hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital are obstructing access for patients and health workers, endangering their lives and further eroding hospital functionality. On 15 January, the vicinity of the hospital was struck, reportedly killing eight people, and injuring scores of others.  
• WHO and health partners have been supporting the health system in Gaza with the delivery of medical equipment and supplies, medicines, fuel for hospitals, coordination of emergency medical teams and disease surveillance through over a dozen high-risk missions to hospitals in northern and southern Gaza. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a joint statement with WFP and UNICEF on 15 January that, “we need unimpeded, safe access to deliver aid and a humanitarian ceasefire to prevent further death and suffering.”

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, including 36 children, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• As of noon on 15 January, the Israeli authorities estimate that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza. On 16 January, two of them were pronounced killed in captivity. During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages were released.
• On 15 January, the Secretary-General reiterated his call for the release of all hostages: “I once again demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. In the interim, they must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits and assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross. The accounts of sexual violence committed by Hamas and others on October 7th must be rigorously investigated and prosecuted. Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring, and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets towards civilian targets.”

Violence and casualties (West Bank)

• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, 344 Palestinians have been killed, including 88 children, across 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 the fatalities in the West Bank (344), 335 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and one by either Israeli forces or settlers. So far in 2024 (as of 16 January), 35 Palestinians, including seven children and three women, have been killed. The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2023 (507) marks the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Four Israelis were killed in an attack carried out by Palestinians from the West Bank in West Jerusalem (one of the four was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him) on 30 November 2023. Another Israeli woman was killed in another attack in Israel on 15 January 2024, perpetrated by Palestinians. The number of Israelis killed (36) in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005.
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, 4,215 Palestinians, including 642 children, were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,085 have been injured by Israeli forces, 109 by settlers and 21 by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 53 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 35 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during settler attacks against Palestinians. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.

Settler Violence

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, OCHA recorded 430 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (41 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (336 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (53 incidents). This reflects a daily average of four incidents since 7 October 2023 until 16 January 2024.
• One-third of the settler attacks against Palestinians after 7 October 2023, involved firearms, including shootings and threats of shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents after 7 October, Israeli forces were either accompanying or reported to be supporting the attackers.
• In 2023, 1,229 incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both. This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006.

Displacement (West Bank)

• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities. More than half of the displacements occurred on 12, 15, and 28 October, affecting seven communities. The displacement toll since 7 October 2023, represents 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since 1 January 2023 (1,539 people, including 756 children). 
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, 465 Palestinians, including 233 children, have been displaced, following the demolition of their homes, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, which are almost impossible to obtain.
• A total of 19 homes have been demolished and 95 Palestinians, including 42 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions from 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024. The numbers exceed those reported in the first nine months of the same year, during which 16 homes were punitively demolished and 78 people displaced. 
• From 7 October 2023 and as of 16 January 2024, 602 Palestinians, including 263 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 94 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank. About 94 per cent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, and in Nur Shams and Tulkarm, both in Tulkarm. This represents 65 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people). 

Funding

• As of 14 January, Member States have disbursed $689.8 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 people in the West Bank. This constitutes 57 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES: 7-14 January

Health

Needs:

• According to WHO, only 15 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional - nine in the south and six in the north. 
• According to the MoH in Gaza, there is a shortage of available hospital beds, as occupancy rates in these hospitals are reaching 206 per cent in inpatient departments and 250 per cent in intensive care units.
• Food, drinking water, fuel, medical supplies, and support to health workers through rotations and additional personnel, are urgently needed in healthcare facilities across Gaza. 
• During missions to Shifa, Al Helou, Al Aqsa and Nasser hospitals to deliver supplies, fuel, and conduct assessments on 13 January, the WHO team observed the following: 
  • A drastic decrease in the number of health personnel in some of the hospitals. 
  • Only 12 medical doctors are still working at the Al Aqsa hospital, which is about 10 per cent of the staff who operated before the start of the hostilities.
  • The maternity unit at Al-Aqsa Hospital is not operating and is referring all pregnant women to Al Awda Hospital, which is further away, putting patients at risks during the additional travel time, due to ongoing hostilities.
• Poor living conditions in shelters have resulted in a rise in water-borne diseases. 

Response:

• Eleven Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are present in Gaza Strip and have been providing support to hospitals across the Strip.
• Health and WASH partners are finalizing an inter-cluster outbreak preparedness and response plan; and are mapping out formal and informal shelters which are without access to primary healthcare services, to identify partners to cover the gaps.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The security situation, access, transport, and deconfliction remain extremely challenging, especially hospitals in the northern governorates. 
• Partners’ operations continue to be adversely affected by the displacement of staff and also telecommunication challenges.
• There is an urgent need to conduct assessments on the outbreak of communicable diseases, such Hepatitis A, to identify the most affected groups, hotspot locations and other key epidemiological information. This is essential to tailor a proper response plan to address identified cases and prevent the spread of disease.

WASH

Needs:

• Flooding is being reported across different parts of the Gaza Strip due to winter weather, extensive infrastructure damage and destruction and the clogging of sewage systems and wastewater. 
• Rainwater lagoons have been contaminated by wastewater and several lagoons are at risk of flooding if the rainfall intensifies. This poses a serious environmental and public health concern. 
• WHO reported an increase in Hepatitis A cases in the Middle Area and Rafah governorates, with the current water and sanitation conditions proving a high risk for further spread.
• To manage water supply and waste-management alone, 22 generators have been requested. These items are pending entry into Gaza. 
• Only one of the three water pipelines from Israel is currently functioning. The Middle Area water pipeline, with a production capacity of close to 17,000 cubic metres of water per day, needs repairs. It is estimated that repairs would take up to four weeks, even given sustained access and necessary supplies. 
• Only two of the remaining three main low-capacity water desalination plants in Deir al Balah and southern Gaza are currently operational and are producing up to 2,400 cubic metres each day.

Response:

• Despite these challenges, WASH partners have undertaken the following responses since October 2023:  
  • Some 34,000 cubic metres of water have been delivered through water trucking and 2,400 metres through bottled water. 
  • More than 53,000 jerrycans and more than 40 storage tanks have been distributed. 
  • Nearly 145,000 hygiene kits and 1,800 cleaning kits have been distributed. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Access to areas with acute WASH needs is being increasingly restricted. Since 1 January, all eight humanitarian missions to resupply water and wastewater facilities with fuel have been denied by Israeli authorities. 
• Humanitarian partners have not been able to assess or resupply fuel to the Jabalya area, where sewage flooding was reported in the refugee camp on 5 January. At least 100,000 IDPs are estimated to reside in UN and public shelters in this area. 
• Markets are not functioning and construction materials for latrines, desludging services and other essential supplies for sanitation are not available for purchase. 
• Import restrictions, as well as complex and unpredictable clearance procedures for critical items considered by Israel as dual-use, such as generators, pumps, and pipes are preventing a scale up of the WASH response. 

Protection

Needs: 

• Hundreds of detainees who have been released and returned to Gaza since December 2023, need support. Some were able to return to families while others moved to shelters.
• There is a need for safe shelters for women at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). 
• There is still a high demand for women’s hygiene supplies across Gaza. 

Response: 

• Protection partners continue to support formerly detained Gazans released through Kerem Shalom Crossing. Partners provide a support package comprised of food, water, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies as well as medical care and treatment. The long-term needs include advanced mental health and psychosocial support. 
• The GBV Sub cluster is coordinating the distribution of critical hygiene supplies for women and girls to the northern governorates, coordinating with relevant actors for distribution, procurement, and access. 
• The sub cluster will also review the composition of dignity kits based on changing needs and feedback from women. 
• Women Affairs Centre is preparing an assessment on the impact of current hostilities on women and girls, and the sub cluster will prepare for a wider scale assessment, including elements that can be used in any future intersectoral needs assessments. 
• Mine Action partners continue to conduct outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• Communication and network outages greatly curtailed the ongoing lifesaving Mine Action work, including outreach and mine risk education and conflict preparedness messages shared via SMS, radio, and social media. Partners continue to carry on outreach and risk education in Rafah through in-person sessions. 

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• As of 14th January, it is estimated that about 70,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable and over 290,000 housing units have been damaged, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza. 
• It is estimated that over 500,000 people will have no home to return to, and that many more will be unable to return immediately, due to the level of damage to surrounding infrastructure, as well as the risk posed by explosive remnant of war (ERW). 

Response: 

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed 1,000 tents and tarpaulin sheets in addition to 2,000 blankets.

Challenges and Gaps:

• There is a high shortage of all essential NFIs for IDPs inside and outside shelters. This includes 50,000 family winterized tents, 200,000 bedding sets (1,200,000 mattresses and blankets), 200,000 sealing-off kits, 200,000 winter clothes kits, and wooden timber to support IDPs in establishing self-built shelters.

Food security

Needs:

• According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC): 
  • 2.2 million people are at imminent risk of famine. 
  • 378,000 people at Phase 5 (catastrophic levels). Phase 5 refers to extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
  • 939,000 people at Phase 4 (emergency levels).

Response: 

• During the second week of January, 12 Food Security Sector (FSS) partners reached some 800,0000 people (considering possible duplication) with at least one type of food assistance. This does not imply sustained assistance nor the full package which people require to address their food insecurity needs. (This is a correction of a typographical error from what was reported in yesterday’s Flash Update (15 January), where it was stated that 1.8 million people were reached with one type of food assistance.)
• Some 13,000 people residing in UNRWA shelters and another 12,500 residing in public shelters were reached with hot meals, to alleviate the hunger and hardships faced by those displaced and in dire circumstances in the northern area. 
• In the south, FSS partners reached 290,000 IDPs in Rafah, Khan Younis, and the Middle areas through food parcels, bread supplies, ready-to-eat (RTE) packages and hot meals. Flour was additionally provided to some 270,000 households residing outside UNRWA shelters. 

Challenges and gaps: 

• Continued hostilities, disruptions in healthcare services, lack of access to nutritious food, lack of access to clean water and poor sanitation conditions remain major challenges and contribute to the risk of famine in Gaza. 
• Despite partners' efforts, food distribution in northern Gaza falls far below needs. The challenges faced in Gaza underscore the importance of continued coordination and support to address the pressing food security needs of the affected people.

Nutrition

Needs: 

• Given the current stock and funding situation, Nutrition partners can only meet 25 per cent of the nutritional needs of malnourished children and vulnerable mothers in the next two months. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, 375,000 individuals are at risk of severe undernourishment. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Response: 

• UNICEF and other nutrition partners continued to address the nutritional needs of children and mothers through delivery of key nutrition commodities. Partners are providing therapeutic services and supplies for children with acute malnutrition, alongside preventative nutrition supplies, including High Energy Biscuits (HEBs). During the second week of January 2024, nutrition partners delivered the following: 
• Partners distributed 5,978 Lipid Nutrient Supplement (LNS) boxes, 638 Survival food ration and 2,063 ready-to-eat (RTE) therapeutic food. 
• Over 33,407 pregnant and nursing women and children under two received LNS supply for one month and sensitization materials in 24 UNRWA shelters in Rafah. 
• Five nutrition staff were trained in Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies
• (IYCF-E) and in Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) while 12 triage staff were trained on Mother-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening aiming for caregivers and health workers to screen for acute malnutrition in children.

Education

Needs:

• According to the Education Cluster, more than 625,000 students and close to 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by attacks on education and school closures since 7 October 2023, and remain with no access to education or a safe place. 
• According to the Ministry of Education in Gaza, between 7 October 2023 and 2 January 2024, 4,119 students and 221 teachers were killed, while 7,536 students and 703 teachers injured across the Gaza Strip. 
• 90 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and have sustained varying levels of damage. Of these, 375 schools sustained damage including 12 that were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The Khan Younis, North and Gaza governorates have the highest proportion (three quarters) of all damaged schools. 

Response: 

• The Cluster’s response is guided by a three-phased response plan – supporting conflict-affected children, teachers, and caregivers in shelters and in host communities; preparing a safe learning environment and re-establishing a sense of normalcy as soon as hostilities stop; and preparing to restore the formal education system through the reconstruction of education infrastructure after a reduction in hostilities. 
• Since October 2023, nine partners have reached close to 93,000 students and teachers with psychosocial support, emergency learning and recreational supplies and activities in the Khan Younis, Rafah, and Middle governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners. 

Challenges and Gaps: 

• No activities have been undertaken in the three northern governorates of Gaza, due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges. 
• In the first week of January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving only three per cent of its requirements as articulated in the Flash Appeal. Education actors and donors are urged to mobilize rapid resources to meet immediate response requirements and start planning for reconstruction in the medium- to long- term when hostilities subside.  

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance (MCPA)

• Since the beginning of the hostilities, 118,200 households (about 787,233 people) have received emergency MPCA. 
• Although cash assistance has been provided to affected people across the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of cash assistance activities are now concentrated in the southern governorates.  
• Because formal markets are largely depleted, informal markets are now the key sources of basics goods and services. This includes trading of personal belongings, small household-based production (bread, vegetables), humanitarian assistance, and other items. 
• Post distribution monitoring data from recipients of cash assistance point to food, medicines, debt repayment, drinking water, and transportation as the top expenditures reported. The percentage of expenditures on food has further decreased over the past weeks, while the percentage of expenditures on medicines has doubled. Some 70 per cent of the respondents report that unrestricted cash has helped them access needed goods and services, either fully or partially, while 87 per cent preferred unrestricted cash for future assistance.

Logistics

• On 11 January, Logistics Cluster provided access to an additional warehouse in Rafah with a 400 square metre capacity, bringing the total space available for partners’ storage in Rafah to 1,470 square metres across three warehouses. 
• Transport services are ongoing from the Rafah Transshipment Point to the Logistics Cluster warehouses in Rafah, as well as the cargo notification service to notify partners once their cargo arrives in Rafah.
• The Logistics Cluster is engaging with partners in Amman, Jordan to initiate discussions on the Jordan Corridor. Advocacy efforts are ongoing with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) and Jordanian and Israeli authorities to further streamline the current processes for the Jordan Corridor, to allow a larger number of convoys per week.
• The IMPACCT Working Group published the updated bulletin on the process of transiting humanitarian aid items from Egypt to support the Gaza response. The live document provides the latest updates based on discussions with government entities and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs: 

• Recurrent telecommunication shutdown in Gaza Strip. Telecommunication services in Gaza have been shut down since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October. 
• There is an urgent need for critical telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up services for the humanitarian response.

Response: 

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) and its partners continue to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import telecommunications equipment and set up an independent, efficient, and reliable communications platform for humanitarian responders. On 11 January, the ETC submitted two letters with detailed specifications of the equipment to be imported into Gaza. 
• The ETC deployed an ICT Specialist to Gaza on 8 January for an initial technical engagement with local actors to plan an initial ICT needs assessment and to set up technical coordination processes for the response. 
• Since 9 January, the ETC is conducting technical support to partner agencies in Rafah that include United Nations agencies and international NGOs to improve their telecommunications platforms.

Challenges and Gaps: 

• The communications and fuel shutdown continues to significantly hinder efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis. 
• Attacks on telecommunication infrastructures and services providers remain a huge challenge to restore the telecommunication services in Gaza. On 13 January, a telecommunications company vehicle was reportedly struck in central Khan Younis, although the crew was on a repair mission and had secured security coordination. Two staff were reportedly killed.

As salaamu alaykum,

Palestinians and allies are breathing life into a new anti-war movement in the U.S. and abroad.

Driven by the dire need to stop the carnage in Gaza, the Palestinian-led movement to stop Israel’s war is drawing parallels with the Vietnam anti-war movement.¹

In line with this historic time, Ben & Jerry’s, the company that brought us “Peace, Love, & Ice Cream” founded by two Jewish activists, is joining the call for an end to war — a permanent ceasefire.²

Ben & Jerry’s is forging a path for more companies to call for ceasefire in Gaza.

17 januari 2024

B&J’s is the first major corporation to join thousands of small businesses that support a ceasefire; many of these same businesses took part in the Global Strike in December.³

We’re writing today because the last time Ben & Jerry’s followed its principles and shut down operations in the occupied West Bank, it faced violent threats and an onslaught of backlash. 

From the powerful United Auto Workers, and the largest healthcare union, 1199SEIU, to the vocal teachers, librarians, Google and Amazon workers… we need everyone with a moral compass to use their voice to end the genocide in Gaza. The more of us who call for a ceasefire, the closer we get to ending the death and destruction in Gaza.

We welcome each new voice and salute each one of you for taking action.

In solidarity,

Granate, Linda and the MPower Change team

Sources:

1. “In Campus Protests Over Gaza, Echoes of Outcry Over Vietnam,” The New York Times, Dec. 24, 2023.
2. “Ben and Jerry’s calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza,“ Financial Times, Jan. 16, 2023.
3. “US businesses and consumers participate in global strike to demand a ceasefire in Gaza,” CNN, Dec. 13, 2023.