Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 5-18 August 2024

UNRWA Team providing assistance to displaced families in Al- Tabi’een school in Gaza city. Photo: UNRWA

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Period: 5-18 August 2024

The information below is provided on a bi-weekly basis by Clusters and select Technical Working Groups operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). For an overview of priority needs and activities by cluster, please see the Flash Appeal.

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Health

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Response

During the reporting period, 35 Health Cluster partners reached 337,000 people across the Gaza Strip. As of 18 August, there were 16 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) supporting the local healthcare workforce, including two in northern Gaza.
On 9 August, Health Cluster partners deployed two EMTs to the Al Ahli and Public Aid hospitals, delivered 24,000 litres of fuel and assessed progress in the rehabilitation of the emergency department and operation theatre at the Al Shifa Hospital.
On 11 August, Health Cluster Partners delivered Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)/Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) supplies to the Kamal Adwan and Al Ahli hospitals and facilitated the medical evacuation of six pediatric cancer patients from northern to southern Gaza.
Following the detection of Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus (VDPV) Type 2 in environmental samples collected from Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, and the reported first active case of polio in the Gaza Strip by the Ministry of Health, the Polio Technical Committee (comprised of WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA and the Health Cluster) has finalized a Polio Response Plan and Response Plan. The first round of the polio vaccination campaign is set to begin on 31 August.
The National Emergency Medical Team, comprising Ministry of Health staff from the National EMT Roster, was activated at the Al Shifa Hospital. This initiative will support emergency care case management at the facility.

Challenges

The multiple evacuation orders issued by the Israeli forces in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah between 8 and 17 August have resulted in the loss of essential health services; impacting 17 health facilities in total, including five primary healthcare centers and nine medical points. The distance of these orders is one kilometer or less from four key hospitals: Nasser Medical Complex, Al-Amal and Kuwaiti Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) hospitals, and Al Aqsa Hospital; hindering people’s access to healthcare.
The success of the upcoming polio vaccination campaign relies upon commitment by the parties involved in hostilities to guarantee a humanitarian pause for at least seven days during each round of the campaign. Without this, insecurity will prevent the campaign from being fully implemented and the risk of poliovirus spreading across the Strip and beyond remains high.
The lack of a reliable medical evacuation mechanism to transfer critically ill and injured patients outside of Gaza remains a major challenge.

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Nutrition

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Response

Partners continue to conduct Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screenings in shelters and healthcare facilities across the Gaza Strip. Since mid-January, 239,580 children aged 6-59 months have been screened for malnutrition. Of all screened children, 14,750 were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, of whom 11,462 with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) and 3,288 with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), including 138 suffering from SAM with medical complications. Cases identified have been receiving treatment in four Stabilization Centres and 102 Outpatient Programme sites supported by WHO, UNICEF and their partners.
Partners have endeavored to expand the screening of pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW). Some 27,617 PBW have been screened since January, and 1,801 PBW have been enrolled for treatment. Between 9 and 10 per cent of PBW screened in the months of June and July were found to be acutely malnourished (MUAC below 23 centimeters).
Between 3 and 16 August, 26,825 children under the age of five and 12,728 PBW received a 30 day-allocation of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS-MQ) in Khan Younis, Deir al Balah and Rafah, under the WFP Supplementary Feeding Programme. Along with LNS-MQ distribution, 19,045 mothers and caregivers were sensitized on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices.

Challenges

Repeated displacement, insecurity and access constraints continue to hamper the early detection of children and women requiring nutrition services and the scale-up of operational presence to provide needed support. While tents have been set up to conduct malnutrition screenings and provide services, the lack of privacy renders breastfeeding counselling challenging.
Repeated displacement, including among children diagnosed with malnutrition, has made it difficult for partners to monitor and follow up on malnutrition cases and for families to carry supplies for malnutrition prevention and treatment.
Insecurity, access constraints, and limited infrastructure hinder the delivery and storage of nutrition supplies like LNS-MQ, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), and Ready-to-Use Infant Formula (RUIF).

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Food Security

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Response

As of 19 August, 12 out of 1