Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #167 [EN/AR/HE]
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The OCHA oPt Flash Update is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a comprehensive update on the West Bank included every Wednesday. The next update will be issued on 20 May.
Key Highlights
- The ongoing influx of displaced people into Khan Younis and Deir al Balah continues to strain dwindling resources to respond to humanitarian needs.
- As of 11 May, WFP-supported distributions of special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five have been suspended in Rafah but continued on a limited basis in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.
- Only five bakeries are operational in all of Gaza and 11 have ceased operations, the Food Security Cluster reports; limited amounts of supplies have entered Gaza since 6 May and remain largely insufficient to address the soaring needs.
- The movement of Emergency Medical Teams in Gaza remains highly constrained, including due to growing insecurity, according to the Health Cluster.
Gaza Strip Updates
- Israeli bombardment from the air, land, and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. Ground incursions and heavy fighting also continue to be reported, especially in Jabalya and eastern Rafah. As of 17 May, Rafah Crossing remains closed. Kerem Shalom Crossing is operational, but the prevailing security and logistical conditions are hampering humanitarian aid deliveries at scale.
- Between the afternoon of 15 and 10:30 on 17 May, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 70 Palestinians were killed and 120 were injured, including 31 killed and 56 injured in the last 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 17 May 2024, at least 35,303 Palestinians were killed and 79,261 were injured in Gaza, according to MoH in Gaza.
- The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between 14 and 16 May:
- On 14 May, at about 14:30, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house was hit in Beit Lahiya in North Gaza.
- On 15 May, at about 1:00, five Palestinians, including a girl, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in Al Bureij Refugee Camp.
- On 15 May, at about 2:00, four Palestinians were reportedly killed when their house was hit on Old Gaza Street in Jabaliya, in North Gaza.
- On 15 May, at about 16:30, five Palestinians were reportedly killed and 15 injured when a group of Palestinians were hit in Al Jala Street, in Gaza city.
- On 16 May, at 00:25, four Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in central Rafah.
- On 16 May, at about 4:35, several Palestinians, including children and women, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Abu Iskandar area in Ash Sheikh Radwan, in Gaza city.
- On 16 May, at about 11:50, five Palestinians, including two children and two women, were reportedly killed and others injured when a residential building was hit east of the European Gaza Hospital in eastern Khan Younis.
- Between the afternoons of 15 and 17 May, six Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 17 May, 279 soldiers have been killed and 1,723 soldiers have been injured in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, according to the Israeli media citing official Israeli sources, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 17 May, it is estimated that 132 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
- The ongoing influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) into Khan Younis and Deir al Balah continues to strain dwindling resources to respond to humanitarian needs. Between 6 and 16 May, according to the UN, nearly 640,000 people were displaced from Rafah, including about 40,000 people displaced on 16 May. According to the Shelter Cluster, there are no remaining stocks of shelter materials inside Gaza. Moreover, on 14 May, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, highlighted that the recent ground operations in Rafah and northern Gaza have heightened concerns about access to clean water and sanitation across Gaza: “In the north, vital wells have suffered great damage, while in Rafah at least eight facilities are down, impacting… people, many of them children who will likely revert to contaminated water and become seriously ill. When water fails, children suffer the most.” In addition to inadequate infrastructure, “civilians – already exhausted, malnourished, and facing numerous traumatic events – are now facing increased death, injury, and displacement among the ruins of their communities. The very humanitarian operations that became the only lifeline for the whole population across the Strip are threatened,” Khodr warned.