Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #113

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in and around Khan Younis, 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. On 7 February, the Israeli military announced a temporary and tactical suspension of military activities in the western neighbourhood of Rafah between 10:00 and 14:00 for humanitarian purposes.  
• Between the afternoons of 6 and 7 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 123 Palestinians were killed, and 169 Palestinians were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 13:30 on 7 February 2024, at least 27,708 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 67,147 Palestinians were injured, according to the MoH.  
• Between the evenings of 6 and 7 February, the Israeli military reported that one Israeli soldier died from a health complication after being injured in Gaza. As of 7 February, 225 soldiers were killed and 1,304 soldiers were injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. 
• The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing by the day, particularly for an estimated 300,000 people in northern Gaza who have been predominantly cut off from assistance and where food security assessments show the greatest needs, according to WFP. WFP warns that humanitarian aid reaching Gaza city is “not enough to prevent a famine.” WFP stressed that “faster and sustained access” is urgently needed. The last time UNRWA was able to carry out a food distribution in the north of Wadi Gaza was 23 January. On 4 February, the World Central Kitchen, with the support of the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the Dutch Air Force, carried out airdrops using GPS-guided parachutes to deliver humanitarian aid for the Jordanian field hospital in northern Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global partnership had projected that the entire population of the Gaza Strip would face crisis or worse levels of hunger for the period between 8 December and 7 February, including one in four households facing catastrophic hunger conditions.  
• Health care in Gaza remains extremely precarious amid continued bombardment and hostilities, a lack of supplies and medical personnel, access restrictions, and fast deteriorating health conditions. On 7 February, UNRWA reported an “alarming spread of disease due to lack of sanitation and clean water.” Moreover, recent findings from malnutrition screenings carried out by partners of the Nutrition Cluster indicate a sharp increase in the global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate among children aged 6 to 59 months, with the GAM rate for northern Gaza (16.2 per cent) being above the World Health Organization (WHO) critical threshold of 15 per cent. Yet, in January, the access of missions to support critical hospitals and facilities providing water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services to areas north of Wadi Gaza were among those overwhelmingly denied by the Israeli authorities. As of 7 February, there are no fully functional hospitals in Gaza while 36 per cent of hospitals and 17 per cent of primary health care centres are only partially functional, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 
• Heavy fighting near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals in Khan Younis continues to jeopardize the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge at these hospitals. On 7 February, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli military vehicles positioned in front of Al Amal Hospital were firing directly at the building, resulting in two injuries. On the same day, PRCS also reported that a 77-year-old patient died due to the oxygen shortage at Al Amal hospital. Two days earlier, some 8,000 patients and IDPs had reportedly evacuated this hospital and PRCS headquarters, after the Israeli military guaranteed safe passage to Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis. However, some 100 medical staff and volunteers as well as elderly patients and people with disabilities, who could not be moved, remained at the hospital.  
• 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. On 7 February, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths expressed extreme concern about the safety and well-being of families who “have endured the unthinkable” in search of safety and now find themselves facing the prospect that intensified hostilities will expand to Rafah. He warned: “Further fighting in Rafah risks claiming the lives of even more people. It also risks further hampering a humanitarian operation already limited by insecurity, damaged infrastructure and access restrictions.” 
• Attacks on schools hosting IDPs continue to be reported.  On 5 February, nine IDPs were reported shot and killed at schools in Khan Younis in three separate incidents, according to UNRWA. Highlighting the gendered impact of the crisis in Gaza, UN Women emphasized that nearly one million women and girls displaced in Gaza are often disproportionately affected by food insecurity, daily bombardment, overcrowded shelters and inadequate WASH facilities. Between 7 October and 31 January, more than 375 IDPs and humanitarian staff were killed and 1,350 injured in over 290 incidents that directly or collaterally impacted humanitarian compounds, the coordinates of which had been notified to parties to the conflict. In addition to endangering civilian lives, such incidents have compromised the safety of humanitarian operations.  
• Incidents affecting aid trucks and ambulance teams continue to be reported. On 7 February, a PRCS paramedic was killed, and others were injured, when an ambulance team, deployed from southern Gaza to evacuate injured Palestinians from Gaza city, was hit between Al Ahli Baptist Hospital and Shifa Hospital, according to PRCS. On 6 February, at about 16:20, six Palestinian police officers were reportedly killed when a police vehicle that was purportedly guarding an aid truck in Khirbet Al Adas area in eastern Rafah was hit. On 5 February, an UNRWA-led convoy carrying food aid to northern Gaza was hit in Deir Al Balah, despite prior notification to, and coordination with, parties to the conflict, the third such incident according to UNRWA.  

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between the afternoons of 6 and 7 February: 
  • On 6 February, at about 17:00, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed, and ten others were injured, when a residential building in eastern Jabalya Camp in North Gaza was hit. 
  • On 6 February, three Palestinians, including a journalist, his mother and sister, were reportedly killed, and several others were injured, in a strike on a house in western Rafah. 
  • On 7 February, at about 9:30, four bodies were reportedly recovered in Jourat Al Lot in Khan Younis and were transferred to the European Gaza Hospital, also in Khan Younis. 
  • On 7 February, at about 5:40, two Palestinians (mother and daughter) were reportedly killed, when a residential building in Az Zuhur neighbourhood in northern Rafah was hit. 

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• As of 5 February, UNRWA estimates that some 75 per cent of Gaza’s population (1.7 million out of 2.3 million people) are displaced, more than half of whom are children. IDPs are sheltering at UNRWA and public shelters, informal sites, in close vicinity to UNRWA shelters and distribution sites, or within host communities, according to UNRWA. They face acute shortages of food, water, shelter and medicine.

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 people from seeking lifesaving services, as well as 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 in the immediate aftermath. 
• As of 7 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) 

• According to initial reports, on 7 February, three Palestinians were killed following an exchange of fire during an Israeli military operation in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. The body of one fatality was reportedly withheld by Israeli forces. During the operation, civilian access into and out of the camp was blocked and a house where the three killed Palestinians were present sustained severe damage. According to UNRWA, 15 staff members were trapped inside the Agency’s health clinic in the camp during the operation.  
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 377 Palestinians have been killed, including 96 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the majority (365) by Israeli forces. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank were killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Between 1 January and 7 February 2024, 68 Palestinians, including 15 children, were killed, the majority by Israeli forces. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 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. 
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 4,426 Palestinians, including 670* children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of these, 4,288 have been injured by Israeli forces, 117 people by settlers and 21 people by either Israeli forces or settlers. Of the total injuries, 55 per cent were reported in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations, 34 per cent in demonstrations and 8 per cent during attacks perpetrated by settlers against Palestinians.

Settler Violence  

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, OCHA has recorded 512 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (49 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (405 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (58 incidents). October, followed by November, represented the peak of such incidents, after which the frequency of settler violence incidents returned to their pre-October levels. Overall, in 2023, OCHA documented 1,264 settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the highest such number in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006. 

Displacement (West Bank)

• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, 508 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 1,152 Palestinians, including 575 children. One-fourth of the demolished structures in 2023, and over 50 per cent of the people displaced, were in East Jerusalem.  
• Since 7 October 2023 and as of 7 February 2024, Israeli forces have 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 7 February 2024, 775 Palestinians, including 322 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 123 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 85 per cent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (908 people).  

Funding

• As of 7 February, Member States have disbursed $796.3 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 65 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: 29 January – 5 February

Health

Needs:

• Primary health services are critically needed in informal shelters across the Gaza Strip.
• There is a need to increase routine immunization coverage as well as the provision of medication for non-communicable diseases, psychotropics, and anaesthesia to address the health needs of the population and prevent the spread of infectious disease.
• Expanding sexual and reproductive health services at the community level is necessary to alleviate overcrowding in maternity hospitals and ensure that women have access to the care they need.
• The establishment of field hospitals in additional areas of the Gaza Strip is crucial to accommodate the medical needs of the local population.
• People are unable to effectively access healthcare due to the lack of laboratory equipment and reagents needed for accurate diagnosis and testing.
• Patients in need of timely and necessary transfusions, cannot receive them due to the unavailability of blood products in hospitals.

Response:

• Since the onset of hostilities, 45 partners have provided health services to an estimated 1 million people in need. There have also been more than 240,000 primary healthcare consultations.
• The Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital in Rafah received 900 ampoules of oxytocin, five Inter-Agency Emergency Reproductive Health (IARH) kits, and 500 Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) kits from UNFPA. This donation will enhance the hospital's capacity, which currently conducts about 250 deliveries a day, of which 15 per cent are caesarean sections.
• Some 12 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) are currently operational. Between 29 January and 5 February, EMTs have treated some 12,000 patients requiring emergency surgeries and treatment for non-communicable diseases and severe acute malnutrition.

Challenges and Gaps:

• The influx of IDPs to Rafah has overwhelmed the available bed capacities in hospitals, leading to insufficient capacity to meet the healthcare needs of the population.
• Response operations by health partners are negatively affected by the displacement of the medical staff, social stresses and telecommunication challenges.
• The high insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern and middle governorates continues to present major challenges to partners’ response activities. Furthermore, ongoing fighting and persistent siege of hospitals have severely affected their functionality and accessibility.
• Limited and proper access to WASH facilities is hindering disease prevention services.

Nutrition

Needs:

• Provision of nutrition interventions, including lifesaving supplies in Gaza, is critically needed across the Strip.
• Malnutrition among children, particularly children under-five, and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) remains a significant concern, amid lack of functioning health and WASH systems and deterioration of the food security situation.

Response:

• The nutrition sub-cluster carried out a training on Global mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening for detecting acute malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months. The training covers data management, identification of malnutrition, simplified management of severe and moderate malnutrition, and reporting.  
• The initial findings from screenings for malnutrition carried out by five implementing partners of the Nutrition Cluster indicate a sharp increase in acute malnutrition. About 3,500 children aged 6 to 59 months, were screened at three IDP sites and three health facilities; global acute malnutrition (GAM) was found at a rate of 9.6 per cent, representing a twelve-fold increase compared to the GAM rate of 0.8 per cent recorded before the beginning of hostilities. Furthermore, data from northern Gaza indicate a 16.2 per cent GAM rate, which is above the World Health Organization (WHO) critical threshold of 15 per cent. This sharp rise in acute malnutrition suggests that, without adequate preventive and curative services, the situation will worsen. 
• In the reporting period, nutrition partners distributed Medium Quantity Lipid Based Supplement (LNS-MQ) to 3,965 pregnant and lactating women (PLWs) and 41,914 children aged 6 to 59 months. However, partners indicate that due to communication challenges in Gaza, some distribution data is yet to be reported. 

Challenges and Gaps:

• Ongoing hostilities in Gaza have led to severe food shortages, inadequate WASH facilities, and a breakdown in health services, placing children under-five and PBW at an increasing risk of malnutrition.
• The nutrition cluster is only 25 per cent funded. Without immediate funding and an expanded response, children under five years will be at risk of malnutrition. Urgent action is crucial to prevent this life-threatening situation.

Food Security

Needs:

• The food security situation in the Middle Area and southern governorate presents an exceptionally challenging scenario. In Khan Younis, most of the population are grappling with extreme hunger.
• The influx of IDPs into Rafah governorate has placed considerable strain on available resources. Providing adequate food assistance to the population challenging, given overcrowding
• Vulnerable segments of the population, including children, the elderly, and individuals with underlying health conditions, are particularly susceptible to the risk of malnutrition.
• There is an immediate need to establish uninterrupted and secure humanitarian corridors that facilitate the delivery of essential aid throughout Gaza, including through the private sector.

Response:

• Between 29 January and 4 February, 20 partners provided food assistance within the Gaza Strip reaching some 1.88 million people. The geographic breakdown is as follows:
  • Rafah Governorate received approximately 33 per cent of the total food assistance. FSS partners reached 1,122,960 IDPs with hot meals, 77,115 IDPs with food parcels, 64,794 IDPs with Ready-To-Eat (RTE) food, including in public shelters, UNRWA shelters, host families and makeshift camps. Bread was distributed to 178,590 IDPs in makeshift camps. Some 1,200 people in host families in the Rafah North area were provided with voucher/cash-based transfers.
  • Deir al Balah received approximately 27 per cent of the total food assistance. This includes a total of 42,633 food parcels distributed to people sheltering in host families, in public shelters, makeshift camps and in UNRWA shelters. Ready-To-Eat (RTE) food was provided to 22,029 people and hot meals were also distributed to 42,000 people displaced. Vouchers/cash-based transfers were received by 1,845 people displaced.
  • Khan Younis received around 17 per cent of the food assistance. Food parcels were distributed to 20,550 people in public shelters, makeshift camps and UNRWA shelters. Some 51,550 people received RTE food in public shelters and makeshift camps. Some 1,845 people sheltering in host families and in public shelters received voucher/cash-based transfer assistance.
  • Northern Gaza and Gaza governorates received some 13 and 10 per cent reached Northern Gaza and Gaza governorates. This includes 6,150 food parcels distributed in host families, while 243,796 people displaced received hot meals, including in public shelters, in makeshift camps and in UNRWA shelters.

Challenges and Gaps:

• In the northern Gaza and Gaza governorates, the humanitarian situation has reached a critical state, including due to restrictions that impede the delivery of essential aid. These restrictions have paralysed efforts to address the significant and growing needs of the population. Improved access and support are urgently needed.
• Frequent border closures, imposed restrictions, and security concerns, prevent humanitarian partners from establishing a secure and efficient operation to ensure the consistent of food
• The deterioration of the situation and escalation of hostilities have caused significant damage to critical infrastructure, including roads, electricity, and water supply systems, impeding the efficient distribution of food aid.
• The lack of fuel and cooking gas poses significant challenges. or sustaining humanitarian efforts including through ensuring the operation of essential services such as mills and bakeries and for people to prepare the limited food available to them.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs:

• Over 650,000 people are estimated to have no home to return to. Many more will be unable to return home due to infrastructure damage, and risks posed by explosive remnants of war.
• There is a significant shortage of all essential non-food items (NFIs) for IDPs inside and outside shelters. The Cluster estimates that about 100,000 families need shelter support, including winterized tents or sealing off kits. Just under 1 million people are estimated to need NFIs.
• Partners estimate that the amount of debris from the destruction of residential housing units will exceed 12,000,000 metric tons and will take over four years to remove, given Gaza's current capabilities.
• Displaced people residing in both formal and informal emergency shelters lack basic NFIs. An estimated hundreds of thousands of people lack adequate shelter.
• Tents, timber sections, and tarpaulin sheets are needed so displaced people have protection from harsh weather conditions and to ease overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.
• The lack of proper informal settlement planning has led to the creation of makeshift shelters and tents flooding on rainy days, further exacerbating the suffering of displaced people.

Response:

• During the reporting period, cluster partners distributed around 3,000 bedding items and 5,000 dignity kits in Khan Younis and the Middle Area. They also distributed 1,500 bedding items in the North, to people who are not residing in UNRWA shelters or with host families. Since 7 October, Shelter Cluster partners have distributed about 40,000 tents, primarily in the areas of Rafah, Khan Younis and the Middle area. Cluster partners report an additional 28,000 tents are in the pipeline.

Challenges and Gaps:

• Since many IDPs have been displaced more than once, they are unable to carry their belongings, including NFIs and other shelter materials.  Assistance often needs to be distributed repeatedly to the same families.  Displaced people also lack tools to set up their tents and protection from rain and floods (hand tools are currently not permitted to enter Gaza). 
• Due to security concerns and limited access, partners restricted the delivery of the assistance mainly to Rafah, Khan Younis and the Middle areas. 
• Cluster partners indicate that pricing for shelter items has risen in regional markets, including high freight rates and shipping costs.  Partners face persistent challenges in maintaining a consistent supply chain. 
• Urgent funding is needed to address the key gaps in the supply of shelter and NFIs. As of 2 February, only 26 per cent of the Shelter Cluster funding requirement (209.2M) has been funded. 

WASH

Needs:

• Access to safe drinking water for the entire population of Gaza is needed, especially among the displaced population and the northern areas of Gaza.
• The accumulation of solid waste on the streets, around hospitals, IDP shelters, and various sites remains a priority concern. 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.
• Power supply (fuel) to water and wastewater facilities, primarily decentralized systems (e.g., generators and other electro-mechanical items) is critical.
• Some 2.25 million people need WASH Assistance. Two-thirds of IDPs are concentrated in Rafah area and urgently need WASH support.

Response:

• Over 2 million people have been reached through WASH assistance.  
• Mekorot Connection: Bani Saeed water supply is currently producing 6,000 cubic metres per day (250 cubic metres per hour capacity) which is 42 per cent of its full capacity. Plans are in place for repairing the pipeline. The key challenges to repairs include their safe access, communication, and coordination.  
• Two out of out of three desalination plans are partially operating: the Middle Area plant produces an average of 1,500 cubic metres per day (distributed via water trucking) and the South Gaza desalination plant produces 1,700 cubic metres per day (around 600 m3 are distributed via water trucking and 1,100 via the water network).  
• The UAE's small desalination plant located in Egyptian Rafah, operates at full capacity, providing 2,400 cubic metres per day. This has been achieved following the construction of a 3-kilometre transmission line extending the intake point to the Saudi Water reservoir and other filling points for tankers and tap-stands.  

Challenges and Gaps:

• Flooding has been a significant issue; the area around Pumping Station 7B is flooded posing a potential crisis with overflow of sewage in the vicinity of the station. This is further compounded by fuel shortage, which impedes the operation of sewage stations. Reports of people coming into direct contact with sewage-contaminated floodwaters in the streets are deeply troubling. Technical assessments are needed to estimate damage and potential impacts.
• The public health risk is further intensified due to an acute scarcity of hygiene materials and adequate sanitation infrastructure. Persistent anecdotal reports of Hepatitis A cases in Gaza, as recorded by UNRWA and the Health Cluster, highlight ongoing concerns.
• The absence of testing laboratories in Gaza for specimen analysis is challenging. Exploring the possibility of referring samples to Egypt is under consideration
• The constraints of the clearance and transport of the dual-use items into Gaza remain a limiting factor of the overall WASH response.

Education

Needs:

• More than 625,000 students and nearly 23,000 teachers in the Gaza Strip have been affected by school closures and attacks on education, with no access to education or a safe place.
• According to the Ministry of Education, as of 30 January, more than 4,660 students and 239 educational staff have been killed and more than 8,109 students and 756 teachers have been injured in the Gaza Strip since 7 October.
• Some 92 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for IDPs and/or have sustained varying levels of damage. Some 390 schools (78.8 per cent of the total school buildings in Gaza) sustained damage, including 140 schools that sustained major damage or were fully destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 433,000 children and more than 16,200 teachers. The North, Gaza, and Khan Younis governorates have been especially impacted, accounting for 76 per cent of all damaged schools (source: Education Cluster Damaged School Dashboard.)
• Education partners are concerned about reports, videos and pictures showing that schools are being used for military operations by Israeli forces, including their use as detention and interrogation centres, or as military bases.
• Key priorities include the provision of Education in Emergencies (EiE) recreational activities and psychological support, including Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to children in shelters and designated emergency shelters (DESs); establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in shelters/DESs to start non-formal learning for children; provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is the identification and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devices for continuity of learning.

Response:

• Since October 2023, eleven partners have reached more than 131,000 students and teachers (source: Education Cluster 5W dashboard) with psychosocial support, emergency learning, recreational supplies and activities, and awareness sessions in the Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates. Most of the cluster responses are delivered by local partners.
• UNICEF with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Centre are working on establishing TLS to start non-formal education activities with displaced children in shelters/DESs.
• The Education and the Shelter clusters are jointly carrying out advocacy activities to highlight the devastating impacts of the current situation in Gaza on children and the inextricable links between shelter and schooling.

Challenges and Gaps:

• No activities have been undertaken in the North Gaza and Gaza governorates due to ongoing hostilities and access challenges.
• As of 28 January, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving less than 10 per cent of its requirements. Urgent funding is required to meet immediate response requirements.

Emergency Telecommunications

Needs:

• Recurrent telecommunications shutdown in the Gaza Strip restricts people from accessing life-saving information and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.

Response:

• The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) continues its presence in Gaza since 09 January supporting humanitarian responders with ICT assessments, technical advice and information, repairs, and guidance on the use of ICT equipment.
• Since 3 November, the ETC continues to engage with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) for authorization to import all essential telecommunications equipment into Gaza and provide independent access to communications for humanitarian responders.
• On 30 January, the ETC assessed the network signal coverage of the Very High Frequency (VHF) digital radio security communications system (SCS) which operates using the VHF Rafah repeater installed at Al Shaboura Clinic. Although the signal coverage is good in Rafah city, the SCS remains non-operational due to the incompatibility between the VHF/HF handheld radio antennae and the digital repeater system. The ETC is collaborating with UNDSS to procure compatible radio antennae and a solar power solution for the SCS.

Challenges and Gaps:

• Limited access to electricity, fuel, and telecommunications services continues to hamper the humanitarian response in Gaza.
• Importation of telecommunications equipment into Gaza is lengthy and extremely challenging.

Logistics

Response:

• The Logistics Cluster has launched common transport services for the route: Amman to Rafah via King Hussein Bridge and convoy coordination services for the route Amman to Rafah via Aqaba-Nuweiba. Details on the support and services provided by the Logistics Cluster are available in the Standard Operating Procedures.
• A consolidation warehouse in Amman is now operational for the pre-positioning of cargo. The facility is bonded and temperature-controlled with 1,300 pallet positions, and a capacity to further increase the storage space.
• The Logistics Cluster held a warehouse management training for humanitarian organisations` personnel on the ground in Gaza, including UN agencies and international NGOs.
• Partners continue facilitating access to temporary storage, transport, and cargo notification transshipment services. As of 4 February 2024, the Cluster has stored 5,142 metre cubic of cargo on behalf of 16 organizations in Gaza. In Gaza, 1,470 square metres of temporary storage is available in Rafah, and 800 pallet positions in a non-bombed warehouse in Port Said, Egypt.
• In the Gaza Strip, the Logistics Cluster has installed and handed over 18 Mobile Storage Units (MSUs), of which 12 are operational (3,840 metre square). In Al Arish, Egypt, so far, the Logistics Cell augmented the ERC storage capacity by 3,840 square metres with the installation of 12 MSUs.

Challenges and Gaps:

• Persisting challenges include storage and transportation across the Gaza Strip, including temperature-controlled storage. The Logistics Cluster is procuring additional Mobile Storage Units (MSUs), which will be available to humanitarian partners to augment their storage capacities and in the event of a scaled-up assistance.
• Partners are collecting the pipeline for incoming cargo through the Egypt and Jordan corridors for the coming three months; this is a key exercise for operational planning, to understand available resources, and allocate them based on prioritization.

Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)

Response:

• Some 121,000 households are estimated to have received one round of emergency MPCA since the start of the hostilities, while another 35,000 people (including people with disabilities and nursing mothers) have received a top-up and close to 1,800 households have received a second round.
• Around 85,000 households have cashed out their assistance since 7 October. Even under a normal year where people are expected to have alternative income sources, this package only lasts for a household for up to one month. This also does not consider market collapse and price volatility experienced under the current in-extremis circumstances. Therefore, this assistance falls far below the needs on the ground.
• From the last round of post-distribution monitoring data conducted between the third week of December and mid-January, food remains the most purchased item with humanitarian cash (98 per cent), followed by medicines (31 per cent), debts repayment (21 per cent), water, hygiene products, and transportation. The percentage of respondents reporting that the assistance helped them accessing needed basic goods and services at that specific time is about 70 per cent.

Challenges:

• Challenges of electricity and connectivity is affecting the Financial Service Providers to make cash accessible. People’s ability to retrieve even that one round of MPCA package received remains largely compromised, with nearly 2,600 families having never been able to retrieve the assistance.
• Since late December, commercial trucks have sporadically entered Gaza, with 607 trucks recorded until 19 January. These trucks vendors sell goods directly on the streets and in informal markets, complicating efforts to track distributions and gather market data. Informal markets persist as the primary source of accessible goods. However, truck entries seem to have ceased since 19 January, likely exacerbating the complexity of obtaining essential goods. Currently, there is limited market data available on informal markets/street vendors – largely because of the challenges collecting data and also the nature of informal market transactions.

Protection against sexual abuse and exploitation (PSEA) remains a cross-cutting priority for all clusters. The SAWA helpline, reachable at 121 and through WhatsApp at +972 59-4040121 (East Jerusalem at 1-800-500-121), operates 24/7. This toll-free number is widely disseminated across all areas of intervention to report cases of SEA and to facilitate emergency counselling and referrals for affected communities to access life-saving services. The PSEA Network monitors calls daily and will increase the number of counsellors if necessary.

* Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.