Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #55 [EN/AR/HE]

Key points

  • On 30 November, the humanitarian pause entered its seventh consecutive day. It has enabled a major increase in the delivery of basic supplies into and across Gaza, primarily by the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies. However, as stressed by the UN Secretary-General on 29 November, the level of aid remains completely inadequate to meet the needs.
  • Aid convoys to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), which prior to the pause have received almost no supplies, continued on 30 November. Since the start of the pause until 29 November, approximately 4,850 metric tons (MT) of food, (primarily wheat flour, rice and canned food), 1,700 MT of blankets and mattresses, 1,110 MT of bottled water, 148 MT of medical supplies and 29,500 litres of fuel were delivered to UNRWA shelters, hospitals and warehouses in the north. About 88 per cent of this assistance was delivered by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), in coordination with the UN, and the remainder by UN agencies.
  • South of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), where most internally displaced persons (IDPs) are staying, enhanced aid distribution, including fuel to hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and shelters, also continued on 30 November. Between 24 and 29 November, 630 MT of wheat flour were distributed to 224,000 people in the south, along with 63,000 blankets and mattresses. Cooking gas has been entering daily from Egypt during this period and has been available in the market at one distribution centre in the south, albeit in quantities well below the demand.
  • On 29 November, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated his concern about the high risk of infectious diseases in IDP shelters, attributing this to severe overcrowding and the disruption of health, water, and sanitation systems. He noted that more than 111,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, 36,000 cases of diarrhoea in children below five, and 24,000 cases of skin rash had been recorded since the start of the crisis.
  • On 30 November, eight Israelis held as hostages in Gaza, and 30 Palestinian detainees, held in Israeli prisons, were released. The freed hostages comprised six women, one girl and one man. Among the Palestinian detainees were seven women and 23 children. Since the start of the pause, 240 Palestinians, 86 Israelis, and 24 foreign nationals have reportedly been released.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

  • While the humanitarian pause that started on 24 November has largely held, sporadic incidents have been reported. On 29 November, at about 18:00, Israeli troops reportedly opened fire at Palestinians in northern Gaza city, killing two of them; the circumstances remain unclear. On 30 November, additional shooting incidents were reported in Gaza city, as well as shelling by the Israeli navy towards the Gaza shore in the south, none of which resulted in casualties.
  • According to the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza, since the start of hostilities, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,150 children and 4,000 women. The GMO, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
  • The fatality toll since 7 October includes at least 198 Palestinian medics, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health; 112 UN staff; 70 journalists and media workers, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate; and at least 15 Civil Defense staff, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
  • Overall, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

  • Movement of people from the north to the south has been declining since the start of the pause on 24 November and almost halted on 29 and 30 November. In previous weeks, the Israeli military has been calling and exerting pressure on residents of the north to leave southwards through a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road.
  • Up to 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging; including because of difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families and accounting for those who returned to their homes during the pause but remain registered in UNRWA and other shelters.
  • Nearly 1.1 million IDPs are registered in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, of whom about 86 per cent (946,000) are registered in 99 UNRWA shelters in the south. Another 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be staying in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are hosted by families.
  • Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters in the south, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including hepatitis.
  • Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.

Humanitarian Access (Gaza Strip)

  • On 30 November, as in previous days, significantly larger convoys than prior to the pause, carrying a variety of humanitarian supplies, fuel and cooking gas entered Gaza from Egypt. The Egyptian border crossing also opened for the evacuation of wounded and sick people, and the entry of Gaza residents who had been stranded outside; figures are not available at the time of writing.

Electricity

  • Since 11 October, 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 depleted.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

  • According to media reports, the decomposed bodies of five premature babies were discovered on 29 November in An Nasr Paediatric Hospital in Gaza city. This facility was reportedly forcefully evacuated on 10 November by Israeli forces. The circumstances of the case remain unclear.
  • On 29 November, a Jordanian field hospital recently established next to the Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, has started operating. Surgeries and maternal services are ongoing. Both hospitals have established a mechanism for mutual referrals.
  • Since the start of the pause, the number of hospitals operating in the north, and admitting patients, has risen to six (out of 24), although they are only providing limited services. On 29 November, UN agencies delivered to two hospitals in Gaza city, Al Ahli and As Sahaba, lifesaving medicines and surgical supplies (in addition to fuel) estimated to be sufficient to meet the urgent health needs of 100 patients at each facility.

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

  • Despite the pause, there has been almost no improvement in the access of residents in the north to water for drinking and domestic purposes, as most of the main water production facilities remain shut, due to the lack of fuel and some also due to damages. Water is primarily available from small private and UNRWA wells. Concerns about waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources persist.
  • On 30 November, UNRWA and UNICEF continued delivering fuel to Gaza’s main water utility, which in turn distribute it to water and sanitation facilities in the south: two seawater desalination plants, 79 water wells, 15 water pumping stations, 18 sewage pumping stations, and one wastewater treatment plant. Supply of potable water in the south via two pipelines coming from Israel has continued.
  • Also in the south, UNRWA continues to operate eight water wells that provide potable and domestic water to IDP shelters, alongside water trucking operations. Solid waste collection from the camps, and emergency shelters and transfer to landfills also continues, reducing the level of health and environmental riks.

Food security

  • On 29 November, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered nutritious biscuits, bottled water, and other essential supplies to IDPs in 13 shelters in the north.
  • On 28 November, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) stated that Gaza suffers a US$1.6 million daily loss in farm production. The institution assesses the losses are likely higher considering the destruction of farm equipment and farmland, and damage caused to thousands of trees, especially olive trees. The economic impact is also significant, considering that 55 per cent of Gaza’s agricultural products used to be sold outside the coastal enclave, PCBS stated.
  • The amount of cooking gas that has reportedly entered Gaza from Egypt since the start of the pause (about 85 tons per day) is a third of the equivalent daily average that entered between January and August 2023. Queues at a filling station in Khan Younis have reportedly extended for about 2 kilometres, with people waiting at them overnight.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

  • On 28 November, for the seventh consecutive day, no rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel was reported. In total, over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
  • Following the release of 102 hostages since 24 November, 137 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to Israeli official sources. Furthermore, on 28 November, one Israeli civilian and three soldiers, initially missing, were declared killed. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces.

Violence and casualties (in and around the West Bank)

  • On 30 November, two Palestinian men from East Jerusalem opened fire at a bus stop in West Jerusalem, killing three Israelis, including an elderly man and two women, one of whom was reportedly pregnant. The assailants were shot and killed by an Israeli civilian and two off-duty soldiers. Additionally, Israeli media reports that a fourth Israeli was also killed after being mistakenly identified as one of the assailants. Hamas reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
  • On 30 November, two Palestinian men were shot and killed by Israeli forces. One was killed during confrontations with Palestinians who gathered to welcome released detainees near the Israeli prison of Ofer in Ramallah. The second Palestinian was killed after he rammed and injured two Israeli soldiers near Tubas.
  • Monitoring by the UN Human Rights Office indicates that the 8- and 15-year-old Palestinian boys shot and killed by Israeli forces on 29 November during an operation in the Jenin Camp (see Flash Update #54, did not seem to pose any concrete threat to the Israeli forces when shot at.
  • Between 7 October and 30 November, 241 Palestinians, including 63 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed in Israel, one by Israeli forces and another by an Israeli civilian (see above). Of those killed in the West Bank, 231 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and two either by forces or settlers. The seven-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. Already, 2023 is the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
  • Two-thirds of the Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchange of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
  • Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,187 Palestinians, including at least 509 children; 45 per cent of them in the context of demonstrations and 46 per cent in the context of search- and- arrest and other operations. An additional 78 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by Israeli forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused with live ammunition, compared with nine per cent in the first nine months of 2023.
  • On 30 November, Israeli settlers and Israeli forces opened fire, and shot teargas canisters and sound grenades at Palestinian farmers who were harvesting olive trees in their land in Kafr Ad Dik village, west of Salfit; ten olive trees were vandalized.
  • Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 299 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (226 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (40 incidents). This reflects a daily average of five incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year. One-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.

Displacement (West Bank)

  • Since 7 October, at least 143 Palestinian households comprising 1,014 people, including 388 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced households are from 15 herding/Bedouin communities.
  • Additionally, 220 Palestinians, including 114 children, have been displaced since 7 October following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits; and 63 Palestinians, including 31 children, have been displaced following punitive demolitions.

Funding

  • As of 29 November, Member States have disbursed USD$352.6 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 in the West Bank. This constitutes about 29 per cent of the $1.2 billion requested. Private donations are collected through the Humanitarian Fund.