Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #107

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continued across much of the Gaza Strip on 31 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 30 and 31 January, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 150 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 313 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 12:00 on 31 January 2024, at least 26,900 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 65,949 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.  
• Between 30 January and 31 January, four Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, as reported by the Israeli military. As of 31 January, 222 soldiers were killed, and 1,293 soldiers were injured in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. 
• On 30 January, the Israeli authorities returned the bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed in Gaza in recent weeks through Kerem Shalom crossing. According to MoH in Gaza, between 80 to 100 bodies were received and most were unidentifiable due to decomposition and were consequently buried in a mass grave in Rafah. According to Israeli media reports and previous statements by the Israeli authorities, bodies are taken to be identified when there is a suspicion that they might include hostages. 
• On 30 January, at about 16:00, Palestinian civilians were reportedly shot at and injured at Al Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza city, as they gathered in anticipation of receiving humanitarian aid. This is the fourth reported incident of Palestinians coming under fire while gathering for food supplies. 
• On 30 January, the Security Council issued a joint statement welcoming the appointment of the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, expressed concern about “the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip” and emphasized “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.” 
• On 31 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that one staff member at Al Amal Hospital had been killed by gunfire near the hospital gates. On the same day, an older woman and an infant died in Al Amal hospital due to the lack of oxygen that they were depending on and were buried in the hospital yard, according to PRCS. On 29 January, PRCS dispatched an ambulance team to reach a young girl in Gaza city in need of rescuing, during attacks, and had lost contact with them since; on 31 January, PRCS reported that the whereabouts of the ambulance team and the girl were still unknown.  
• Nasser and Al Amal Hospitals in western Khan Younis reportedly remained under siege, while the vicinity of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also remained tense, with one child reportedly killed. On 31 January, PRCS reported that the courtyard of Al Amal Hospital was stormed and that Israeli Forces were positioned in front of the ER external gate. On 30 January, Palestinian casualties were reported amid attacks in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital and surrounding areas. On 31 and 30 January, attacks were reported near Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS headquarters in Khan Younis.  
• On 31 January, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), whose head of medical activities managed to visit Shifa hospital in Gaza city on 22 January as part of a UN-organized convoy, reported that staff “are struggling to care for patients because the needs are huge.” MSF further reports that the facility functions with three operating rooms for urgent surgeries, although badly damaged and with few resources. One patient reportedly died due to lack of blood for transfusions, MSF said. The facility hosts displaced people seeking safety. 
• On 30 January, Palestinians reportedly discovered 30 corpses buried in black bags under the sand in an UNRWA school in Beit Lahiya, north Gaza. The school had not been accessed by residents since about 10 December, when a fire broke out, causing significant damage, and reportedly forcing displaced people that were sheltering in the location, to flee. On 7 December, the facility was reportedly besieged and casualties were reported. 

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 30 and 31 January: 

• On 31 January, at about 9:50, four Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others were injured, when a location near Hadam city, in Khan Younis, was struck. 
• On 30 January, at about 18:45, at least 11 Palestinians, including women and two children, were reportedly killed, and others injured, after a residential building in southern east Deir al Balah, was struck. 
• On 30 January, at about 13:40, the bodies of five Palestinians were reportedly recovered from Ad Durrah School in Qaizan An Najjar, Khan Younis, after it was struck on 8 January. 
• On 30 January, at about 21:00, ten internally displaced persons (IDPs) were injured when the vicinity of Al Ourouba School in northwestern An Nuseirat Camp, Deir al Balah, was struck. 
• On 30 January, at about 14:00, according to Civil Defense in Gaza, Israeli forces destroyed entire residential blocks in Tal Al Hawa and western areas in Gaza city, with no casualties reported. 

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 31 January, UNRWA reported that some 184,000 people had registered for humanitarian assistance in the western outkirts of Khan Younis, after they were displaced from western Khan Younis city in recent days amid evacuation orders and continued hostilities. Along with those displaced, UNRWA itself had to move part of its operations from western Khan Younis city, thus loosing health centres and shelters. The Agency has reestablished its operations on the western outskirts of Khan Younis. 
• 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 IDPs seeking refuge there. The Israeli authorities announced these evacuation orders again 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 greater area was home to 1.38 million Palestinians before 7 October and, subsequently, it contained 161 shelters hosting an estimated 700,750 IDPs. 
• 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, ten 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)

• On 29 January, a humanitarian mission managed to reach Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and deliver essential medical supplies for 1,000 patients. However, on 30 January, food delivery to that hospital was delayed at a checkpoint, where many people took food from the stopped trucks. Commenting on the incident, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated: “This underscores the utter desperation of people in Gaza, who live in hellish conditions, including severe hunger. We continue to seek permission to deliver the fuel to the hospital... Once the most important referral hospital in southern Gaza, within a week Nasser has gone from partially to minimally functional, reflecting the unwarranted and ongoing dismantling of the health system.” 
• Health care in Gaza generally remains extremely fragile, according to WHO. As of 25 January, only 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. For additional information on challenges facing these facilities see previous Flash Update 106. 

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 and the immediate aftermath.  
• On 31 January, the Israeli police announced that an officer previously thought to be among the Israelis being held hostage in Gaza was killed on 7 October and that his body is being held in Gaza. In total, 61 Israeli police have been killed since 7 October. The Israeli authorities estimate that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza, these include those that are deceased, and their bodies were still being held. 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 31 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. Another Palestinian man was killed by Palestinians on 7 January 2024, reportedly in the belief that he was a settler 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 31 January), 61 Palestinians, including at least 13 children, have been killed, the bulk of whom by Israeli forces. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 31 January 2024, six Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed in Palestinian-perpetrated attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.1 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 31 January 2024, 4,387 Palestinians, including 660 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,250 have been injured by Israeli forces, 116 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 31 January 2024, OCHA has recorded 494 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (49 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (388 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (57 incidents). On 31 January, settlers from Nahliel settlement tried to steal a water tank from a Palestinian house in Beitillu village in Ramallah. The residents of the house tried to prevent the settlers from stealing the tank, after which the settlers sprayed them with pepper spray and physically assaulted and injured one of them. 
• 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, 1,264 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 945 of these incidents resulted in damage, 165 resulted in casualties and 154 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 31 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).  
• On 30 January, a Palestinian family was forced to demolish its residence in the Jabal al Mukabbir neighbourhood of East Jerusalem due to lack of permit; four people, including two children, were displaced. Since 7 October 2023 and as of 31 January 2024, 499 Palestinians, including 248 children, have been displaced following the demolition of their homes in Area C and East Jerusalem due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. Over 100 Palestinian homes have been demolished on these grounds between 7 October 2023 and as of 31 January 2024. In one incident on 30 January, in Qalandiya (Jerusalem), the Israeli authorities demolished a horseback riding club on an eight dunum area comprising ten structures, all of which were demolished due to lack of permit.  
• A total of 22 homes have been punitively demolished and 105 Palestinians, including 45 children, displaced due to punitive demolitions since 7 October 2023 and as of 31 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 in that context.  
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 31 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 31 January, Member States have disbursed $700.4 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. Health partners are planning to provide primary healthcare via mobile clinics to more than 25,000 Palestinians across 36 communities in early 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 on the Egyptian side of 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 been unable 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