Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #109

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip on 2 February, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations and fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported across much of Gaza. 
• Between the afternoons of 1 and 2 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 112 Palestinians were killed, and 148 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 13:30 on 2 February 2024, at least 27,131 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 66,287 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.  
• Between 1 and 2 February, there were no Israeli soldiers reported killed in Gaza. As of 2 February, 222 soldiers were killed and 1,296 soldiers were injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. 
• Some 75 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people, more than half of whom are children, are displaced according to UNRWA’s estimates. They face acute shortages of food, water, shelter and medicine. Intense fighting around Khan Younis continues to drive thousands of people into the southern town of Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza’s population. Most are living in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open, according to UNRWA. Expressing deep concern about the prospects facing internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rafah, OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke stated: “Rafah is now a pressure cooker of despair and we fear for what happens next." 
• Since 29 January, there were no new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military. Since 7 October 2023, 246 square kilometres, which amount to 67 per cent of the Gaza Strip, have been placed under evacuation orders. This area was home to 1.78 million Palestinians before 7 October and, as of late December 2023, it contained 210 shelters hosting over 770,000 IDPs. It includes all areas north of Wadi Gaza, whose residents were ordered to evacuate in late October, as well as specific areas south of Wadi Gaza slated for evacuation by the Israeli military since 1 December. Overlapping orders are accounted for. 
• Twice as many children now require mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in the Gaza Strip, compared with pre-war estimates. UNICEF  estimates that almost all of Gaza’s 1.2 million children are in need of MHPSS. Moreover, according to UNICEF, “at least 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated” from their parents and “due to the sheer lack of food, water and shelter, extended families are distressed and face challenges to immediately take care of another child as they themselves are struggling to cater for their own children and family.” 
• Health care in Gaza remains extremely precarious, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of 30 January, only 13 out of 36 hospitals (36 per cent) in Gaza are functional, but only partially; seven in the north and six in the south. Moreover, only 17 per cent of primary healthcare centres remain functional, according to WHO. These include four UNRWA health centres out of 22 that were operational prior to the onset of hostilities. On 2 February, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the PRCS Director of the Youth and Volunteers Department was killed by gunfire at its headquarters in Khan Younis. On the same day, according to PRCS, the fate of two staff members in the ambulance team that had been dispatched on 29 January to rescue a six-year-old girl in Gaza city remained unknown.  
• Heavy fighting near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals in Khan Younis continued on 2 February, jeopardizing the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick, as well as thousands of IDPs seeking refuge at the hospitals. On 1 February, PRCS reported that they had buried five people in Al-Amal hospital’s courtyard, as they were unable to move to the cemetery amid continued fighting and bombardment nearby. On 29 and 30 January, WHO reported that, despite challenges, the organization and its partners successfully delivered essential medical supplies for 1,000 patients to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis amid intensive military operations, and UNRWA delivered 24,050 litres of fuel. However, according to WHO, “efforts to provide food were delayed at a military checkpoint,” resulting in civilians taking the food from the trucks before it could reach the hospital. 

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip) 

• Emergency medical and Civil Defense teams continue to recover bodies from under the rubble across the Gaza Strip. On 1 February, PRCS reportedly recovered six Palestinian corpses from northern Al Bureij area in Deir al Balah and transferred them to Al Aqsa hospital also in Deir al Balah; there were no reports on the date or location of the killing of the six Palestinians. Also, on 2 February, 12 Palestinian corpses belonging to a single extended family were reportedly recovered from under the rubble of their house, which had been hit weeks ago, in As Sikka Street of central Khan Younis.  
• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between 31 January and 2 February: 
  • On 31 January, at about 15:10, several Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others were injured, when a residential building in eastern Jabalya city was struck. 
  • On 31 January, at about 17:00, three Palestinians were reportedly killed, when a group in An Nuseirat, Deir al Balah governorate, was reportedly shot at in a drone strike. 
  • On 31 January, at about 12:30, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, as a group of people was struck in western Khan Younis city. 
  • On 31 January, at about 15:50, four Palestinians, including a child, were reportedly killed, and others were injured, when a car and cart were struck in an area between Khan Younis and Rafah. 
  • On 31 January, at about 18:55, four Palestinians, including a woman and her son and daughter, were reportedly killed when a residential building west of Rafah crossing was struck. 
  • On 1 February, at about 18:15, at least four Palestinians were killed and several others were injured when a house in An Nasser neighbourhood in eastern Rafah was reportedly hit. 

Displacement (Gaza Strip) 

• As of 31 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in the Gaza Strip and 150-155 UNRWA installations that continue to shelter IDPs. 
• On 31 January, six IDPs were injured at a school in Khan Younis where they were sheltering, according to UNRWA. On 31 January, two incidents took place where IDPs sheltering in the Gaza Training Centre and UNRWA office, in Gaza city, were killed as a result of drone fire. Overall, as of 31 January, UNRWA reported that at least 278 incidents have impacted its facilities sheltering displaced families. As a result, at least 376 IDPs taking refuge in UNRWA shelters have been killed and 1,365 injured since 7 October, the Agency reports. 

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip) 

• In January, ten of the 61 humanitarian aid missions planned for the north of Wadi Gaza (16 per cent) were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, two (3 per cent) were partially facilitated, 34 missions (56 per cent) were denied access, and six (10 per cent) were postponed by aid organizations due to internal operational constraints. In an emerging pattern, the access of an additional nine missions (15 per cent) was initially facilitated, but subsequently impeded as routes designated by the Israeli military proved to be unpassable, or due to the imposition of excessive delays prior to the departure of the missions or at checkpoints en route. Facilitated missions primarily involved food distribution, while the access of missions to support critical hospitals and facilities providing water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services remained largely denied. 
• According to WHO, 1,243 medical cases including wounded people and those suffering from pre-existing medical conditions, along with 1,025 companions, were evacuated from Gaza via Rafah as of 30 January; these include people who are receiving treatment in Egypt as well as those evacuated to other countries. 

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. 

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. 
• As of 2 February 2024, the Israeli authorities estimate that about 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remained captive in Gaza; these reportedly include fatalities whose bodies are being withheld. 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 2 February 2024, 372 Palestinians have been killed, including 94 children, in conflict-related incidents 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 372 fatalities, 360 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two by either Israeli forces or settlers. The other two Palestinians, including a woman holding Israeli citizenship, were killed in an attack by Palestinians on 7 January 2024, reportedly in the belief they were settlers. So far as of 2 February 2024, 63 Palestinians, including at least 13 children, have been killed, the majority by Israeli forces. The Palestinian death toll 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 2 February 2024, ten Israelis have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel. These include five Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem; four Israelis killed by Palestinians from the West Bank in Israel, and one Israeli killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him during a Palestinian-perpetrated attack in West Jerusalem. The number of Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel in 2023 (36) in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank was the highest since OCHA started recording casualties in 2005. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 2 February 2024, 4,391 Palestinians, including 661 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of them, 4,254 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 2 February 2024, OCHA has recorded 495 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (49 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (389 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (57 incidents). In 2023, 1,264 attacks carried out by 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. On 1 February, Israeli settlers, reportedly from Shavei Shomron settlement, vandalized about 450 trees and saplings that include mostly olive, apricot and almond trees belonging to Palestinians from the nearby Deir Sharaf village (Nablus). On 2 February, Israeli settlers, reportedly from Eli settlement, vandalized a car in front of a house in As Sawiya village (Nablus). 

Displacement (West Bank) 

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 2 February 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 2 February 2024, 503 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. Overall, in 2023, 892 structures were demolished, sealed off and/or confiscated due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits in Area C and East Jerusalem, resulting in the displacement of 1,148 Palestinians, including 575 children. Some 39 per cent of people displaced occurred between October and December 2023. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 2 February 2024, Israeli forces punitively demolished 22 Palestinian-owned homes, displacing 105 Palestinians, including 45 children. 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 2 February 2024, 756 Palestinians, including 313 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 119 homes during 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 83 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).  

Funding 

• As of 1 February, 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. &