Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 30 September - 13 October 2024

Response

• Efforts are underway to re-open a medical point in Gaza governorate, after mass evacuation orders and escalating hostilities forced three medical points that offer outpatient nutrition services to close in North Gaza (one) and Gaza (two) governorates and compromised the treatment of about 2,000 acutely malnourished children in northern Gaza.  
• The blanket supplementary feeding programme through the distribution of small-quantity and medium-quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (LNS-SQ and LNS-MQ) and High-Energy Biscuits (HEB) – specialized products that provide energy and micronutrients – continues to target all children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW). As of September, more than 85 per cent of children are estimated to face severe food poverty and consume less than two types of food per day, indicating almost non-existent levels of child dietary diversity.  
• Since January 2024, nutrition cluster partners have: 
  • Distributed 585,750 one-month supplements, reaching 31 per cent of children (90,800 out of 297,000) targeted with LNS-MQ per month at best (e.g. July) and 34 per cent of children targeted with LNS-SQ. An additional 147,000 children received HEB. Distributions also reached 25 per cent (200,000) of PBW targeted with LNS-MQ and 10 per cent of PBW targeted with LNS-SQ and HEB. 
  • Established 18 mother-baby-friendly spaces and 392 mother support groups. 
  • Reached at best 77 per cent (123,000) of caregivers and PBW (e.g. April) targeted with Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) counselling per month.  
  • Supported the treatment of acute malnutrition cases: Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) admissions met 52 per cent of the target, with 5,214 cases admitted, 55 per cent of them in the last three months; and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) admissions met 46 per cent of the target, with 18,874 admissions, including 10,734 between July and September. 
  • Reported carrying out 350,400 screenings of children, including a monthly maximum of 78,000 children (e.g. July), and 54,000 screenings of PBW.

Challenges

• Since January, and despite several attempts to scale up the nutrition programme, recurrent displacement, including of nutrition partners, shrinking humanitarian space, and continued supply chain complications, have not allowed for the full coverage of the needs, despite the prepositioning of adequate quantities of supplies outside the Gaza Strip. 
• At the same time, the reduction of access in health services due to the massive evacuation orders and hostilities, especially in northern Gaza, will further delay the detection and start of the treatment of children in need and compromise the follow up of children already under treatment. 
• The situation is expected to deteriorate due to a sharp reduction in the number of commercial trucks entering the Strip, which has further jeopardized the nutrition status of already vulnerable children who have suffered for months from very poor access to adequate diet, water and hygiene products. . This is also raising commodity prices beyond the sharp increases already registered since the escalation of the hostilities in October 2023 and threatening the market's stability, which could have severe consequences for malnutrition.

Response

• As of 13 October, seven out of 19 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners remain operational in the Strip -- three in Deir al Balah and four in Gaza City -- but they all struggle daily to overcome supply shortages and maintain operations. In the North Gaza governorate, the only functioning bakery supported by WFP caught fire after being hit by an explosive munition. In Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, five bakeries were forced to close on 12 and 13 October due to flour shortages. Meanwhile, the five bakeries in Rafah remain closed due to ongoing hostilities.  
• As of early October, about 550,000 cooked meals prepared in more than 150 kitchens were distributed daily to families across the Strip. The level of meal production is expected to further decrease this month due to dwindling supplies in central and southern Gaza and the closure of some kitchens in the northern governorates due to escalating hostilities and evacuation orders.   
• No humanitarian food assistance has been entering northern Gaza since 2 October as the two northern crossings have been closed. The Food Security Sector (FSS) is extremely concerned about the rapid deterioration of food security in the northern part of the Strip, where at least three quarters of the population present have been relying on food aid to survive, according to analyses conducted by FSS. Essential goods are also missing from markets and the prices of what remains available are exorbitantly high. Left with no other coping mechanisms, families have resorted to selling any belongings they have and searching through the rubble for money or food.   
• Since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in northern Gaza on 6 October, FSS partners have been endeavoring, while often risking their lives, to distribute aid supplies that are available and accessible, including limited amounts of food parcels, read-to-eat meals and wheat flour.  
  • Between 11 and 13 October, partners distributed more than 1,500 food parcels and 1,500 25-kilogram bags of wheat flour to IDPs trapped or sheltering in and near schools in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia in North Gaza.  
  • In Gaza city, over 110,000 meals are being distributed daily by at least 10 kitchens, including a new kitchen set up on 9 October in the Ash Shati’ (Beach) refugee camp to support the influx of IDPs from North Gaza.  
  • On 10 October, WFP managed to cross from southern to northern Gaza to deliver fuel to the five remaining bakeries in the area, thereby allowing free bread to be distributed alongside cooked meals at most of the kitchens as well as in some shelters.  
• FSS is supporting the Shelter Cluster in conducting an energy needs assessment to better understand energy challenges and potential solutions within Gaza’s emergency context. The significant increase in firewood prices continues to push an increasing number of people into energy poverty, exacerbated by the limited availability of gas and the ongoing electricity cuts. It is anticipated that the energy crisis will further worsen as the rainy winter season approaches.  
• FSS continues to advocate for all land entry points into Gaza to be opened for all types of cargo. In addition, FSS continues to advocate for the sustained, at-scale entry of commercial goods into Gaza to complement humanitarian efforts, increase dietary diversity and stimulate the local economy by increasing goods affordability and availability, as well as improving cash liquidity.  

Challenges

• In northern Gaza, most resources have been utilized and there is barely any food parcels left to distribute. Bakeries will have to shut down again within the span of a few days if no additional fuel is delivered. Even cooked meal supplies, which prior to the latest evacuation orders were deemed sufficient for the entire population caseload in Gaza city for three to four weeks, will likely run out much faster than anticipated due to the new influx of displaced populations from North Gaza and given that all other planned streams of assistance are no longer available. 
• In central and southern Gaza, due to extreme insecurity and access impediments, very limited aid supplies have been entering through the southern crossings. As a result, most partners are unable to start monthly food parcel distribution for October, and bakeries are at risk of shutting down every day.  
• Aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months. The dramatic drop in humanitarian supplies is coupled with a critical shortage of commercial goods. As the winter months and rainy season approach, most people in Gaza find themselves without adequate shelter, no fuel and little aid.  
• Already in September, about 1.4 million people – or 70 per cent of the Gaza population – did not receive their monthly food rations across the Strip. If the flow of assistance does not immediately resume, almost two million people will lose the assistance they rely on in October. People have run out of ways to cope, food systems have collapsed, and the risk of famine persists.  
• As of mid-October, at least 100,000 metric tons of food commodities -- equivalent to food rations for the entire Gaza population for more than two months – remain waiting outside of the Strip and must urgently be brought in through various corridors. There are also great concerns over the increasing risk of spoilage and infestation of stranded food supplies, some of which are nearing their expiry dates. 
• While the olive harvest season in Gaza has started, there is sharp decrease in olive production due to mass destruction of olive orchards, with more than one million olive trees uprooted since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. Only four out of 37 olive presses remain functional throughout the Strip, but challenging access to fuel represents a key obstacle, hampering the use of the remaining equipment. 
• The fishing sector, which used to be a primary source of livelihoods in Gaza, has similarly not been spared by the impact of 12 months of escalating hostilities. According to a recent report by the Palestinian NGO Network, since October 2023, 87 per cent of fishing boats have been damaged or destroyed, and Gaza’s port and other key fishing infrastructure have also been destroyed, with indirect losses estimated at about $7 million per month. This, compounded by ongoing fishing restrictions as well as lack of equipment and fuel, has resulted in thousands of fishermen losing their livelihood sources. 
• The latest satellite-based agricultural damage assessment published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNOSAT shows that, as of 1 September 2024, 68 percent of cropland had been damaged, almost 95 per cent (about 15,000 heads) of cattle had died, and nearly all calves had been slaughtered. Only about 43 per cent of sheep (less than 25,000 heads) and 37 per cent of goats (about 3,000 heads) remain alive. Dramatic losses have been reported in the poultry sector, with only 1 per cent (about 34,000 heads) alive. Commercial poultry production has largely ceased, with most operations now limited to household-level production for self-consumption. 

Response

• The Logistics Cluster continued operations at the Erez entry point, albeit intermittently and without personnel presence on the ground due to mission denials. Up until 1 October (inclusive), a total of 5,422 metric tonnes of cargo have been uplifted and transported from the northern crossing points of Erez West and Erez to partners’ warehouses in the north.  
• On 9 October, a direct convoy with 30 trucks carrying 418 metric tonnes of food was dispatched from Amman to Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) entry point, the first convoy to undergo the new Declaration Form and customs clearance process. All convoy information is available on the interactive dashboard.  
• In Jordan, to augment the JHCO storage capacity, the Logistics Cluster provided a warehouse facility until December 2024.  
• In Egypt, at the request of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), the Logistics Cluster installed nine Mobile Storage Units (MSUs), four of which were provided by the Logistics Cluster.  
• As of 13 October, 1,033 UN and International NGO trucks are in Al Arish ready to be dispatched to Gaza. 

Challenges

• Continued access and security constraints remain a significant impediment to common logistics service facilitation by the Logistics Cluster, both at the entry points and throughout the Gaza Strip. 
• Operations to collect supplies from Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) platform remain heavily constrained and insecure. On 8 October, a 100-truck convoy was organized to pick up aid, which resulted in looting of significant portion of the humanitarian supplies. 
• Following the 1 October Iranian missile attack on Israel, all crossing points into Gaza were closed. On 8 October, only Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) and Gate 96 entry points were re-opened, while the northern crossing points of Erez and Erez West have been closed, rendering unattainable the entry of aid to the north of the Gaza Strip. 

Response

• Between 28 September and 11 October, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) reported that the average water supply for safe drinking and domestic purposes was about 92,517 cubic metres per day across the Gaza Strip, compared with about 116,000 cubic metres in the preceding two weeks and less than a quarter of water supply provided prior to October 2023. This includes 53,900 cubic metres of water produced by municipal water wells.  
• Between 28 September and 11 October, WASH Cluster partners received a total of 269,324 litres of fuel, or an average of 19,237 litres per day, which represents only 27.5 per cent of the minimum daily requirement of 70,000 litres to meet critical WASH and public health needs. This delivery marks a two per cent increase compared to the quantity received between 21 and 27 September.  
• As of 11 October, WASH Cluster partners reported the daily distribution of 1,777 cubic metres of water across Gaza, including 3,397 cubic metres in Khan Younis, 3,667 in Deir al Balah, 638 in North Gaza and less than 10 in Rafah.  
• WASH Cluster partners have initiated winterization preparedness activities. These include the rehabilitation of wastewater pumping stations in Deir al Balah, solid waste removal and cleaning of stormwater channels in An Nuseirat, rehabilitation of drainage systems, and procurement of dewatering pumps. Partners also continue to identify flood-prone areas and develop communication and community engagement key messages to raise flood risk awareness. Beyond the WASH Winterization Response and Preparedness Plan, which outlines proactive measures to mitigate flood risks, the WASH Cluster has also produced a Mapping of Stormwater Basins and Flood-Prone Areas to guide efforts by response actors to address flood challenges.  
• In August 2024, a household-level WASH Needs Assessment was carried out across the Gaza Strip to comprehensively evaluate WASH needs through an evidence-based approach that encompassed key informant interviews and a sample of more than 2,400 households. Key findings include: 
  • About 1.4 million people face a shortage of drinking water, with nearly two-thirds of assessed households (62.4 per cent) having less than the recommended six litres per person per day for drinking and cooking. Nearly 68 per cent of assessed households are purchasing drinking water to meet their basic needs, spending an average of 46 Shekels weekly. Additionally, 24.5 per cent of households purchase domestic water, costing them 55 Shekels per week. The primary challenges related to drinking water include limited availability (43.7 per cent), insufficient storage containers (38.2 per cent), high costs (36.9 per cent), and the distance to distribution points (30.6 per cent). 
  • Approximately 1.4 million people face unsafe conditions when accessing sanitation facilities. Key reported issues include a lack of perceived safety (66.3 per cent), widespread hygiene deficiencies (48.3 per cent), and broken or non-functional facilities (35.4 per cent). 
  • One million people are at risk of sanitation-related threats in or near their locations, with over half of the population reporting exposure to environmental health threats within 10 metres of their shelters. These threats include rodents and pests, trash and solid waste, sewage from broken sewer lines, outlets and toilets, and the presence of human waste/faeces. Immediate measures are necessary to enhance sanitation and solid waste management efforts at both the community and infrastructural levels. 
  • A total of 1.5 million people lacked access to soap at home at the time of the assessment, making it difficult for them to protect themselves from communicable diseases. 

Challenges

• Evacuation orders, intense military operations and loss of access to numerus WASH facilities in North Gaza have rendered many water producing and wastewater collection facilities inoperable; water production from municipal water wells in Jabalya and Beit Lahya are currently at zero level. 
• There is an urgent need for generators, submersible pumps and other critical supplies for water wells and pumping stations as they remain largely unavailable on the local market. 
• The lack of access to soap and other basic hygiene items is severely hindering families’ ability to protect themselves from communicable diseases, especially in overcrowded shelters, disproportionately affecting children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Key products like shampoo, detergent, and dishwashing liquid are no longer available, making it impossible for households to maintain cleanliness, prepare food safely, or wash clothes. Healthcare facilities are also struggling to maintain proper sanitation, increasing the risk of infections for patients and staff.  
• The flow of water from the main transmission line running from Israel to northern Gaza remains at only 80 per cent of capacity, with several critical water facilities damaged and rendered inaccessible in recent weeks. Water supply through the middle and southern connection points must be urgently increased to full capacity.

Response

• Between 30 September and 13 October, Cluster partners distributed at least 350 family tents to households in need across northern Gaza, as well as other items in response to the new evacuation orders. 
• In the South, partners continue to provide shelter assistance to families affected by the targeting of schools or other sites being used as shelters for displaced people. As part of winterization preparedness efforts, the Cluster has started distributing sealing-off kits/tarpaulin to people living in substandard shelters. To date, 8,000 families have received sealing-off materials. Additionally, around 200 families in southern Gaza were provided with tents. During the reporting period, 40,000 new winter clothing kits were also added to the pipeline.

Challenges

• In northern Gaza, Shelter Cluster partners are facing a distinct shortage of items to support households affected by recent evacuation orders. Partners have either already distributed or earmarked items, or they are inaccessible.  
• Due to consistent challenges in importing shelter materials into Gaza, the Cluster has been forced to prioritise the bare minimum of shelter items, such as sealing off kits, tarpaulins, plastic sheets, ropes and duct tapes, which can only enhance existing, makeshift shelters, instead of providing full, dignified shelter solution to people in need. Even if these minimum supplies are brought in, affected households will not be adequately protected in the winter.  
• While shelter items are being prioritized on the Fence Road, the number of trucks carrying shelter items through this channel is insufficient to cover the needs. 
• Extreme weather will exacerbate the risk of collapse of damaged buildings in which many families are sheltering. Without access to undertake assessments, capacity to conduct repairs, or ability to provide alternatives, the cluster is limited to providing awareness raising services related to the risks of sheltering in damaged buildings. 

Response

• During the reporting period, SMWG partners monitored 60 sites hosting approximately 172,365 people in the Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, and North Gaza governorates. Identified needs and response gaps were shared with partners to guide response efforts.  
• On 9 October, an inter-cluster operational plan for the establishment of reception points was presented to the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG). The aim of these reception points is to provide people forced to relocate from North Gaza with the needed information and support and gather information so that supplementary services can be set up.  
• On 9 October, the SMWG conducted an orientation session on soon-to-be launched site management and assessment tools for Project Managers, Area Managers and Information Management focal points at partner organizations.

Challenges

• SMWG partners lack sufficient human resources to carry out all needed assessments at IDP sites.  
• Constant population movements caused by evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military and rapid changes in developments on the ground due to hostilities continue to hinder the implementation of an effective site management response.

Response

• In northern Gaza, the Cluster has been able to establish contact with 16 partners, while seven remain unreachable. Of the total, only eight partners are currently operational according to available information, with most having suspended their activities due to evacuation orders and escalating hostilities. Provided services include psychological first aid and psychosocial support. Some partners remain blocked in Jabalya.  
• Gender-Based Violence (GBV) responders continue, where possible, to provide services to persons at risk of GBV, amidst an increasing trend of cases of domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse and exploitation, which are exacerbated by the scarcity of basic goods, such as food and water, and recent evacuation orders and continued displacement.  
• UNRWA’s protection teams continue to identify and respond to protection risks and the needs of displaced people in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, including Al Mawasi. They are visiting shelters and IDP sites, providing awareness sessions on EORE, GBV and the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), undertaking focus group discussions and key informant interviews with IDPs, monitoring aid distribution, and following up on previously identified vulnerable cases. 
• Together with the Education Cluster, Protection Monitors continue to closely monitor learning activities in shelters to ensure that the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of children are prioritised, and any protection issue or concern is addressed in a timely manner.  
• In anticipation of further displacement from northern Gaza, the Protection Cluster has been supporting UNRWA and the Site Management Working Group (SMWG) in setting up reception points and preparing community messages on available services that can be distributed in person, as well as through radio, SMS and internet. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will also set up a station for telephone calls at the reception points. 
• Mine Action partners continue to use SMS, radio, and social media to disseminate messages on explosive ordnance risk education and conflict preparedness and protection (EORE-CPP). During the reporting period, partners completed 13 explosive hazard assessments (EHAs) and took part in five inter-agency missions. Five other EHAs and 12 inter-agency missions were denied. 
• During the third quarter of 2024, an average of 913 child protection cases have been addressed each month through the case management approach. Between April and September, child protection partners had reached 225,667 children and 117,487 caregivers with activities to support their mental health and well-being.  

Challenges

• New evacuation orders and intensified military operations in the North Gaza governorate have driven a new wave of displacement to Gaza city, with more families at risk of separation. Insecurity, bombardments and ensuing displacement continue to constrain community outreach and protection activities, including proper management of GBV and child protection cases.  Two child protection service providers in northern Gaza were forced to evacuate their locations, further reducing care options for unaccompanied children. The attack on the Al Amal Orphanage, west of Gaza city, on 2 October, which killed 11 people, including three children, is yet another example of how nowhere is safe in Gaza.  
• Due to insecurity, overcrowding and lack of privacy in shelters, women and girls continue to face challenges in accessing confidential GBV services. Coupled with new evacuation orders and escalating hostilities, these developments have also hindered the ability of GBV partners to provide assistance, as many have themselves become displaced and are now unreachable 
• The acute lack of tents, tarpaulins, cleaning materials and other NFIs continues to negatively affect displaced households at UNRWA shelters and other IDP sites. Advocacy at the highest levels is urgently needed to increase the entry of such supplies into Gaza, prioritizing winter clothing kits and other shelter items necessary for displaced households facing the cold and rainy weather.  The limited availability of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and dignity kits on the local market also continues to disproportionately affect women and girls and increase their vulnerability to diseases. During the reporting period, only a handful of dignity kits were available across the Gaza Strip for distribution to the most vulnerable cases.  
• The limited availability of humanitarian assistance is contributing to rising tensions among displaced communities and increased insecurity in and around distribution points. UNRWA reports an increased number of violent inter-family disputes, sometimes with the use of firearms, both in UNRWA shelters and other IDP sites. Protection partners are being forced to operate with fewer resources, while being exposed to multiple safety and security risks and being increasingly targeted as frustration over the lack of material assistance continues to spiral. These challenges are particularly affecting female humanitarian workers supporting the GBV response.  The shortage of tents continues to affect the ability to expand group-based psycho-social support (PSS) and provide safe spaces or temporary accommodation for unaccompanied children. PSS needs remain vast, and it is critical that more PSS kits be approved for entry into the Strip.    
• Lack of funding and impeded access by Israeli authorities for specialized personnel and equipment for the clearance and disposal of deep-buried bombs (DBB) hamper people’s protection from explosive remnants of war (ERW) and the safe and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid. Mine Action partners emphasize the need to obtain meaningful data from the Israeli authorities regarding the geographical location of ERW and hazardous areas.    
• Cash shortages continue to hinder the use of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) by some recipients, negatively affecting living conditions, increasing the risk of exposure to violence or exploitation for women and girls, and undermining the ability of partners to pay local service providers and staff salaries. Meanwhile, the price of most basic commodities available in local markets has more than quadrupled.  

Response

• During the reporting period, the Education Cluster established 44 new Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs), primarily in and around Khan Younis, benefiting approximately 13,500 students. Additionally, 71 new teachers have been identified to support students in these learning spaces. As of 30 September, 259 TLSs have been set up across the Gaza Strip, benefiting about 47,000 students with the support of 1,253 teachers. With nearly 98 per cent of school infrastructure damaged and over 87 per cent requiring significant reconstruction, demand for TLSs has intensified. TLSs provide multi-channel, informal learning opportunities for school-aged children focused on essential literacy and numeracy skills as well as life-saving education, including on explosive ordnance and other protection-related risks.  
• With support from WASH Cluster partners, 50 teachers received training as trainers on good hygiene practices and conducted awareness-raising sessions for 4,600 children in Asdaa camp and six Palestinian Authority schools in eastern Khan Younis. Hygiene messages were shared with children and key practices were displayed in learning spaces to promote further dissemination from children to their families. These initiatives are especially critical given the predicted impact of floods, including the associated increased risk of communicable disease outbreaks. 
• Communities continue to endeavor to create learning opportunities for children, with over 400 such initiatives mapped by the Cluster that are currently ongoing, serving more than 62,000 learners. This rise reflects the communities’ strong demand for and prioritization of education. Despite resource constraints, Education Cluster partners are trying to extend support to these initiatives, to improve the quality of services offered. 

Challenges

• Established TLSs currently reach only seven per cent of school-aged children, and there is an urgent need to establish new spaces and improve existing ones ahead of the winter season. The Cluster estimates that 43 TLSs have been affected and had to shut down their activities due to the Israeli military evacuation orders issued in October; as a result, 5,898 children supported by 176 teachers have lost learning opportunities.  
• The continued targeting of schools is severely hampering the scale-up of the emergency education response throughout Gaza. In October alone, the Education Cluster documented 26 incidents in which schools were attacked, 13 of them in North Gaza and 10 affecting UN-run schools. These attacks are further destroying educational infrastructure, resulting in loss of life and instilling fear among parents and children. There is an urgent need for increased advocacy to ensure that all conflict parties uphold their responsibilities to protect educational infrastructure under International Humanitarian Law. According to a new satellite-derived Damage Verification Assessment published by the Cluster on 1 October, at least 87 per cent of school buildings in the Gaza Strip (493 out of 564) have been directly hit or damaged and are currently estimated to require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again, up from 84.6 per cent in July 2024.

Response

• On 29 September, the ETC Cluster facilitated the installation of 15 “Track24” satellite-based devices in World Food Programme (WFP) armored vehicles (AVs) in Deir al Balah, and coordination is ongoing to enable the monitoring and tracking of mission movements in Gaza.  
• A security communications trainer is scheduled to arrive in Gaza on 20 October to conduct familiarization sessions for UN personnel on Security Communications Systems (SCS) and the use of satellite-based tracking devices (Garmin and Track24) to enhance staff safety and security. 
• The ETC Cluster continues to advocate for the need to import more telecommunications equipment into Gaza to set up common communications services.  
• More information on ETC activities can be accessed here.

Challenges

• Due to increased restrictions on the movement of commodities, damaged infrastructure and lack of fuel and spare parts, local Mobile Network Operators and Internet Service Providers in the Gaza Strip continue to experience network outages and are unable to conduct the necessary repairs. Current conditions render it difficult to maintain the functionality of the remaining network and have resulted in the loss of connectivity in Rafah.  
• Severely limited availability of telecommunications equipment is hampering the delivery of ETC services. A significant amount of equipment has been damaged or destroyed, and the import of new equipment is lengthy and challenging. Only 20 satellite phones, 25 Track24 devices, 30 VHF digital radios, and four solar power solutions have been imported into Gaza since 7 October 2023, following coordination with Israeli authorities.  
• Increasing insecurity, displacement, and relocation of staff from Rafah to Deir al Balah have rendered it difficult to deploy shared ETC communications services or provide face-to-face technical support for humanitarian responders.  
• The lack of funding has limited the ETC Cluster’s capacity to address immediate communications needs for humanitarian responders in Gaza. Thus far, only 45.8 per cent of funding requested by the Cluster ($1.8 million) under the updated OPT Flash Appeal has been received.