Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #117

Key points

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of civilian infrastructure. Ground operations and heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups also continue to be reported, particularly in Khan Younis and Rafah.
• Airstrikes on Rafah have heightened concerns of an escalation in the most southerly area of Gaza, which is already hosting over half of Gaza’s population. On 12 February, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that a “potential full-fledged military incursion into Rafah – where some 1.5 million Palestinians are packed against the Egyptian border with nowhere further to flee – is terrifying, given the prospect that an extremely high number of civilians, again mostly children and women, will likely be killed and injured. There must be an immediate ceasefire. All remaining hostages must be released. And there must be renewed collective resolve to reach a political solution.”
• Between the morning of 12 February and 10:30 on 13 February, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 133 Palestinians were killed, and 162 Palestinians were injured, mostly in Rafah and Khan Younis. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 13 February 2024, at least 28,473 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 68,146 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
• Between the afternoons of 12 and 13 February, three Israeli soldiers were reported killed in Gaza. As of 13 February, 230 soldiers have been killed and 1,346 soldiers injured in Gaza since the beginning of the ground operation, according to the Israeli military. In addition, 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 13 February 2024, the Israeli authorities estimate that about 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, these reportedly include fatalities whose bodies are being withheld.
• On 10 February, the Education Cluster published a Satellite-derived Damage Assessment of schools across the Gaza Strip to verify the extent of damage since 7 October 2023 and as of the end of January 2024. The assessment found that 162 school buildings have been directly hit, representing nearly 30 per cent of the total of 563 school buildings in Gaza. At least 26 of these buildings have been destroyed. Given that some 63 per cent of schools in Gaza operate a double shift system, with different sets of pupils attending in morning and afternoon sessions, these 162 physical school buildings accommodate a total of 235 distinct schools which, prior to 7 October, served some 175,000 pupils and were staffed by more than 6,500 teachers. Another 151 schools have been confirmed as damaged, and 95 are likely damaged, and 41 possibly damaged. Some 25 per cent of the schools that were directly hit or damaged are operated by UNRWA, and 45 per cent of the schools in these categories have also served as shelters for IDPs. At least 55 per cent of schools in Gaza will either need full reconstruction or major rehabilitation. The satellite-derived images also provide evidence for the military use of schools.
• According to the Ministry of Education, as of 6 February, more than 4,850 students and 239 educational staff have been killed and more than 8,227 students and 836 teachers have been injured in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. On 11 February, two Palestinian boys, including a 12-year-old, were reportedly killed when the Al Amal Boys School in western Khan Younis, which was being used as a shelter for IDPs, was reportedly fired upon.
• On 12 February, Médecins du Monde (MdM) condemned the destruction of its offices in Gaza city a few days previously, which they describe as deliberate. No staff was inside when the building was demolished. MdM did not receive any warning about the attack, even though its offices were clearly identified as those of a humanitarian agency, and the address of the building had been shared with the Israeli authorities, their statement says. "We are once again outraged by what appears to be a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The destruction of our offices is further proof that absolutely no place is safe in Gaza. NGO buildings are being demolished, while humanitarian aid is being demolished.”
• Intense fighting in Khan Younis, particularly near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals, continues to jeopardize the safety of medical staff, the wounded and the sick as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs). On 12 February, MoH in Gaza reported that seven Palestinians have been killed and 14 injured by sniper fire in the courtyard of Nasser hospital. The hospital’s suspended ceilings also sustained damage due to nearby explosions; sewage has leaked into the emergency department, according to MoH in Gaza. Al Amal Hospital continues to contend with acute shortages of fuel and medical supplies and currently has only one functional operating room.
• IDPs across Gaza continue to face deteriorating humanitarian conditions amid acute shortages of safe areas, shelters, clean water, food and medicine. 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, the majority situated in Rafah governorate. On 10 February, the Israeli military reportedly fired on a school sheltering IDPs in Khan Younis, killing one Palestinian, according to UNRWA. The Agency estimates that at least 396 IDPs sheltering in its shelters have been killed and at least a further 1,379 injured since 7 October. On 12 February, the Al Huda Mosque in Rafah, which was sheltering IDPs, was reportedly destroyed by the Israeli Air Force, reportedly killing five Palestinians and injuring several others.
• Between 1 January and 12 February, humanitarian partners planned 77 missions to deliver aid and undertake assessments to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza. Of these, 12 were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, three were partially facilitated, 14 were impeded, 39 were denied access, and nine were postponed by the requesting agencies. Facilitated missions primarily involved food distribution, while the access of missions to support critical hospitals and facilities providing water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) services remained among those overwhelmingly denied. During the same period, there were 189 planned missions to areas assessed as necessitating coordination to the south of Wadi Gaza. Of these, 107 were facilitated, two were partially facilitated, 19 were initially facilitated but then impeded, 48 were denied access, and 13 were postponed internally. Missions to areas not requiring coordination south of Wadi Gaza are not included in these statistics.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported on 12 February:
  • At about 6:00, 15 Palestinians, including children, were reportedly killed, and several others injured, when a residential building in southern Deir al Balah was struck.
  • At about 1:50, 11 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building in the Yibna area of southern Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 1:55, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens other injured, when a residential building in Tal Asl Sultan area, in western Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 2:00, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building near Al Falah Mosque, in northern Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 2:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others were injured, when a residential building in Al Adis area, in northeastern Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 2:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building in Ash Shouka area, in southern Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 2:10, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building in An Nasser area, in southern Rafah, was struck.
  • At about 2:40, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building in Al Junina area, in southern Rafah, was struck.
  • Aat about 2:45, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens of others injured, when a residential building in Bader area, in southern Rafah, was struck.

West Bank Updates

• On 11 February, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man at the entrance of Battir village in Bethlehem. The Israeli military reported that the man attempted to perpetrate a stabbing attack against soldiers, while local accounts indicated that he was shot after he had been stopped by Israeli forces. According to Palestinian medical sources, the man was shot more than 20 times, and an ambulance was prevented from reaching him; after a few hours his body was then handed over.
• On 13 February, according to initial information, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a search-and-arrest operation in Qalqiliya city. Reports indicate that an exchange of fire was taking place between Palestinians and Israeli forces about half an hour before the man was shot while driving home.
• Since 7 October 2023, 388 Palestinians have been killed, including 99 children, and 4,475 Palestinians, including 686 children, injured in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. During the same period, 10 Israelis, including four members of security forces, were killed and 73 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
• Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 527 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (50 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (418 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (59 incidents). According to initial information, on 12 February, Israeli settlers raided Huwwara and Asira al Qibliya, both in Nablus governorate, and threw incendiary materials at Palestinian residences and parked vehicles. Clashes between Palestinians and settlers, who were accompanied by Israeli forces, were reported. Two Palestinians sustained live ammunition injuries, and residential houses and vehicles sustained moderate to severe damage.
• On 10 February, a Palestinian family was forced to demolish their house in the At Tur neighbourhood of East Jerusalem due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permit. Consequently, five people, including three children, were displaced. Since 7 October 2023, 513 people, including 251 children, have been displaced in Area C and East Jerusalem after their homes were demolished due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.

Funding

• The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) was extended through the end of March 2024 due to continuing impediments to an effective and appropriately scaled-up humanitarian response. The Flash Appeal, which was launched in October 2023 and updated in November 2023, requests US$1.229 billion to meet critical needs of 2.7 million people across the oPt (2.2 million in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem). The appeal outlined a set of enabling operational conditions which did not materialize that were required for humanitarian actors to implement the planned activities. As a result, the appeal was extended on a ‘no cost’ basis and requirements split between the last quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. As of 13 February, member states disbursed a total of $887.1 million against the updated Flash Appeal (72.2 per cent); this includes $608.7 million out of $629.1 million (96.8 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and $278.4 million out of $600 million (46.4 per cent) requested for January-March 2024.
• The occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) and the CERF are currently funding more than 94 ongoing projects in the Gaza Strip to address urgent humanitarian needs. These interventions, totalling approximately $77 million, cover needs in the areas of food security, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health and protection. Since October 7, the oPt the HF has received a total of $86 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund. Recently approved projects include $3.5 million for the Emergency Fleet Augmentation project that aims to enhance aid delivery to Gaza under the oPt HF, and $700,000 for “Strengthening Collective Gender Responsive and Inclusive Accountability to Affected People in OPT” under the CERF.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSE UPDATES | 5–12 February

Health

Needs

• High need for primary health services in informal shelters hosting IDPs.
• The high number of surgeries and procedures has led to increased demand for anaesthetic and analgesic medications which are in short supply.
• There is a need to increase routine immunization coverage and conduct a catch-up campaign.
• Provision of medication for non-communicable diseases and psychotropics is needed.
• There is a need to reduce overcrowding in maternity hospitals.
• The continued siege around some hospitals is significantly affecting their case management capacity.
• Laboratory equipment and reagents are needed to support diagnostics.
• Blood and blood products in hospitals are needed for emergencies and medical procedures to ensure that patients receive timely transfusions.

Response

• Cluster partners are reaching a weekly average of about 450,000 people in need of various health services and supplies.
• Ongoing disease surveillance at all health facilities is underway to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of cases as well as early detection of potential outbreaks.
• Planning to open stabilization centres for acute malnutrition cases with medical complications. One will be at Tal as Sultan and another in one of the field hospitals.
• 12 Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) were deployed, assisting more than 16,000 patients.
• A weekly average of nearly 300,000 primary health care consultations was reported by partners.

Challenges and Gaps

• There is a need to strengthen referral mechanisms between hospitals.
• The influx of IDPs migrating to Rafah has overwhelmed the available bed availability in hospitals, leading to insufficient capacity to meet the healthcare needs of the population. Heigtened insecurity in Rafah is also greatly affecting response activities.
• Heightened insecurity and limited access to health facilities in the northern and middle governorates continue to present major challenges for partners to respond.
• Persisting siege of hospitals remains a major challenge.
• Referring patients outside of Gaza remains a challenge, as the waiting list continues to grow.
• Partner operations continue to be negatively affected by the displacement of staff, social stresses and telecommunication challenges.
• Limited access to proper WASH facilities is hindering prevention of diseases.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

• Some 1.7 million people are need of shelter and NFI assistance, including 900,000 people reached with partial shelter and NFI assistance. Partial assistance means that although a household has received some shelter and NFI items, not all their needs have been met.
• Urgent needs are tents, sealing-off kits (SOKs) and NFIs, including bedding, kitchen sets, and winter clothing. SOKs can be used to consolidate makeshift shelters or to protect damaged housing to facilitate return where possible.
• Technical assistance is required to improve self-built shelters and spontaneous/informal sites. Also see Shelter Cluster snapshot, as of 7 February.

Response

• A total of 26 partners are providing assistance. Some 28,000 tents, 7,600 SOKs, and 35,000 NFI kits are currently in the pipeline.
• The vast majority of assistance is currently provided in-kind; cash will be pursued further when market conditions allow.
• Further details in the Cluster response strategy and website dashboard.

Challenges and Gaps

• Slow entry of items into Gaza due to limited aid trucks and bureaucratic processes are complicating procurement.
• Rising prices of shelter materials in neighbouring markets, including high freight rates and shipping costs.
• Need to restore commercial imports and re-establish local markets to relieve pressure on in-kind provision.
• Restrictions/denial of key shelter items including timber, hand tools, and cooking stoves.
• Lack of security and access to IDP locations, including logistical challenges such as lack of fuel and rising social tensions because of the limited quantity of aid available in comparison to outstanding needs.
• Unplanned sites and lack of adequate tools is leading to water damage to makeshift shelters and tents, and recurrent displacement resulting in loss and need for re-distribution of assistance.

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, leaving them with no access to education or a safe place.
• According to the Ministry of Education, as of 6 February, more than 4,851 students and 239 educational staff have been killed and more than 8,227 students and 836 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 392 schools (79 per cent of the total school buildings in Gaza) have sustained damage, including 141 schools that sustained major damage or were destroyed. Combined, these schools previously served some 457,019 children and more than 17,043 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.)
• The Education Cluster conducted a Satellite-derived Damage Assessment of all Gaza schools to verify damage to schools based on proximity to damaged sites. Key findings include:
  • Satellite-derived Damage verification exercise confirmed the large level of damage to schools previously reported by the cluster in Gaza.
  • Actual damages to school infrastructure might be 15 to 20 per cent higher than what has been previously reported by the Education Cluster.
  • At least 55 per cent of schools in Gaza will either need full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again.
  • One quarter of directly hit and damaged schools are UNRWA-run schools
  • Forty-five per cent of school buildings that have been used by IDPs as shelters, have been either directly hit or damaged.
  • The satellite-derived images provide evidence for military use of schools.
• Education partners are concerned about reports, videos and pictures depicting schools 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; and provision of emergency supplies and learning kits. In addition, a key need is to identify and support of children with disabilities and other needs, with assistive devices for learning.

Response

• Since October 2023, eleven partners have reached more than 135,126 students and teachers 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 (source: Education Cluster 5W dashboard).
• UNICEF, with three of its partners and Teacher Creativity Centre, is 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 11 February, the education response remains significantly underfunded, receiving less than 10 per cent of its requirements. Urgent funding is required to meet immediate response requirements.

Logistics

Response

• The Logistics Cluster has conducted the Gaps and Needs Analysis Survey to identify needs and gaps, and to adapt the Cluster`s strategy and services accordingly. Findings will be made available by mid-February.
• The Logistics Cluster has made available to partners an additional common warehouse in the North Camp of Rafah, bringing up the total storage capacity to 2,470 m2. The Logistics Cluster has secured storage space at the WFP warehouse in Amman with a capacity of 1,300 m2 for consolidation and pre-positioning of cargo.
• As of 11 February, the Logistics Cluster in Rafah has stored 6,696 cubic metres of cargo for of 16 organisations and supported 21 organizations with cargo notification service.
• On 6 February, the Logistics Cluster facilitated access for an inter-agency convoy (five partners), which transported a total of 335 metric tons of relief items on 24 WFP trucks from Jordan to Gaza, via the King Hussein Bridge.

Challenges and Gaps

• The storage and transport capacity inside Gaza remains limited. The Logistics Cluster continues to facilitate access to temporary storage, transport from handover points to common warehouses, and cargo notification trans-shipment services.
• The Logistics Cluster is coordinating the pipeline for incoming cargo through the Egyptian and Jordanian corridors for the coming three months. This is a vital exercise for operational planning, in terms of understanding the resources available and making allocations based on the prioritization list. Partners have received a dedicated form and are requested to update it weekly. Partners who have not received the form can reach out to [email protected].

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.