Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 16-29 September 2024

Children benefitting from informal learning activities in a school-turned-shelter in Al Maghazi refugee camp, in Deir al Balah. Teaching is focused on essential literacy and numeracy skills. Photo by OCHA

[dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Period: 16-29 September 2024

The information below is provided every other week 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.

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='12' md='not-set' lg='12' xl='not-set' class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Health

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='not-set' md='not-set' lg='not-set' xl='not-set' class='ml-5 pl-4' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Response

During the reporting period, 56 Health Cluster partners were active in Gaza, with 48 operating health service points, reaching about 300,000 people per week.
As of 29 September, there were 15 emergency medical teams (EMTs) supporting the local health-care workforce, including three in northern Gaza.  
As part of a new national EMT project launched by WHO in northern Gaza, 240 national EMT doctors have been deployed to the Emergency Department of the Al-Shifa Hospital to provide both trauma and non-trauma related health services.
Preparations are underway for the second round of the polio vaccination campaign, which is scheduled to take place in mid-October and will include the distribution of Vitamin A supplements.
In the northern governorates, health partners have distributed 2,700 postpartum kits (PPK) to health facilities and shared guidance outlining distribution criteria and use modalities with relevant health workers.
A blood donation campaign was conducted in the West Bank during the last week of September to collect blood units for patients in Gaza, including those suffering from Thalassemia. A total of 3,000 blood units were collected and were delivered to health facilities in both northern and southern Gaza on 30 September.
On 29 September, eight patients, including seven children, were evacuated from Gaza for specialized medical care in Romania. They traveled along with 24 companions. Half of the patients have cancer, two have blood disease, one needs a kidney transplant, and one has a severe injury. On six occasions, 229 patients along with 316 companions have been exceptionally evacuated since the closure of Rafah Crossing on 7 May.

Challenges

Health facilities continue to face severe supply shortages due to obstacles hindering the entry of humanitarian aid and a growing backlog of health supplies and equipment awaiting entry into Gaza. In particular, partners continue to face major security and access constraints in reaching medical facilities in northern Gaza, which is also impeding fuel deliveries and forcing all healthcare facilities in the north to ration fuel supplies and interrupt some services.
The lack of a systematic mechanism for the medical evacuation of critically ill and injured patients out of Gaza results in an ever-growing waiting list. As of 30 September, it is estimated that 12,000 patients need medical evacuation, as the clinical conditions of many deteriorate.  
Overcrowding in displacement sites, poor water, hygiene and sanitation conditions, and the lack of essential items are contributing to growing reproductive health risks and increasing vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV) and exploitation.
There are growing public health concerns for the anticipated deterioration of living conditions during the winter season in displacement sites, particularly in flood-prone areas. In a joint assessment published on 25 September, the Health and WASH Clusters warned that many IDP sites are assessed to be located in or near flooding hotspots and additional locations are vulnerable to flooding at present.

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='12' md='not-set' lg='12' xl='not-set' class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Nutrition

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='not-set' md='not-set' lg='not-set' xl='not-set' class='ml-5 pl-4' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Response

The Cluster has trained 17 analysts for the upcoming Integrated Phase Classification for acute malnutrition (IPC-AMN) exercise, with the support of the IPC Global Support Unit. The Cluster has also benefited from the support of the SMART Initiative to analyze more than 40,000 Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening data collected by Nutrition Cluster partners between mid-August and mid-September, to better understand the malnutrition situation in each governorate.
In September, 24,281 children were screened for malnutrition. Since mid-January, a total of 318,603 children aged 6-59 months have been screened for malnutrition, including 70,329 in the northern governorates. Of all screened children, 21,638 have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition, including 16,872 with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 4,766 with severe acute malnutrition (SAM); of those with SAM, 145 had medical complications. Treatment is provided at four stabilization centres and 102 outpatient programme sites across the Strip. 
In September, 49,647 children under the age of five and 18,339 pregnant or breastfeeding women (PBW) received supplementary feeding, either through lipid-based nutrient supplements (LBNS) or high energy biscuits (HEB). Nutrition partners also provided 35,366 caregivers with counselling for breastfeeding and for adapted complementary feeding of children aged six months and older.

Challenges

Transport and adequate storage of nutrition supplies is challenging because of the limited entry of humanitarian supplies, limited ability to store products that require refrigeration such as ready-to-use infant formula, and the loss of access to some warehouses due to ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders, access, and logistical constraints.
Continuous displacement is disrupting distribution, service delivery, and case monitoring, especially among children, and access to nutrition sites. Coordinating nutrition support for newly displaced people arriving at shelters is increasingly complex.

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='12' sm='12' md='' lg='not-set'][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='12' md='not-set' lg='12' xl='not-set' class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0']

Food Security

[/dexp_builder_html][/dexp_builder_col][/dexp_builder_row][dexp_builder_row class='' equal_height='0' wrapper='0' wrapper_class='' html_id='' background_color='' background_image='file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' animate='' animate_delay='0' collapse='false'][dexp_builder_col xs='' sm='not-set' md='not-set' lg='not-set' xl='not-set' class='ml-5 pl-4' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' border_left='' border_right='' border_bottom='' border_color='' border_style='solid' border_radius='' custom_css='' animate='' animate_delay='0'][dexp_builder_html class='' background_color='' background_image='file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:file:' background_type='default' background_position='default' background_repeat='no-repeat' background_size='auto' margin_top='' margin_left='' margin_right='' margin_bottom='' padding_top='' padding_left='' padding_right='' padding_bottom='' border_top='' borde