Some of the hundreds who were injured on 29 February on Rashid Road, in Gaza city, remain in critical condition, as the death toll has reportedly risen to 118. Shifa hospital, 1 March 2024. Photo by WHO

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #131

04 Mar 2024

Key Highlights

The nutrition crisis in northern Gaza is rapidly deteriorating; 15 children have so far died as a result of malnutrition and dehydration, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
On 1 March, a UN mission managed to reach Shifa Hospital in Gaza city and deliver fuel, life-saving medicine and treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
On 2 March, 11 people were killed when tents housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people gathered in front of Al Emirati field hospital in Rafah were hit, according to MoH in Gaza.
Three Palestinian boys were killed in three separate incidents in the West Bank.

Gaza Strip Updates

Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, particularly in Az Zaitoun area of Gaza city and in northwest Khan Younis, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. Palestinian armed groups continued to fire rockets into Israel.
Between the afternoon of 1 March and 10:30 on 4 March, according to the MoH in Gaza, 306 Palestinians were killed, and 543 Palestinians were injured, including 124 killed and 210 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 10:30 on 4 March 2024, at least 30,534 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 71,920 Palestinians were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.
Between the afternoons of 1 and 4 March, according to the Israeli military, four Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. As of 4 March, 244 soldiers have been killed and 1,453 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, the vast majority on 7 October. As of 4 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
The nutrition crisis in northern Gaza is rapidly deteriorating. As of 3 March, MoH in Gaza reported that 15 children had died of malnutrition and dehydration at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, and expressed fear for the lives of six other infants who are suffering from acute malnutrition. On 3 March, the UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, stated that the “tragic and horrific” child deaths in Gaza are unfolding despite being “man-made, predictable and entirely preventable.” According to Ms. Khodr, “the lives of thousands more babies and children depend on urgent action being taken now” to prevent famine, and “for this we need multiple reliable entry points that would allow us to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza; and security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza, with no denials, delays and access impediments.”
Israeli airstrikes on Rafah continue to be reported. On 2 March, MoH in Gaza reported that 11 people were killed, and some 50 others were injured, when tents housing IDPs and people gathered in front of Al Emirati field hospital in Tall as Sultan area of Rafah were hit. Among the fatalities was a nurse and a member of the field hospital’s ambulance crew. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), this MSF-supported field hospital is the primary maternal health facility in southern Gaza, and in recent weeks patients “have voiced their fear of entering the hospital due to systematic attacks in and around healthcare facilities across Gaza.” On 2 March, the Israeli army stated that it had carried out a “precision strike” in the area of the hospital, targeting militants from the Islamic Jihad group. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, described the incident as “outrageous and unspeakable,” and reiterated that health workers and civilians must be protected at all times. Last week, the UN Secretary-General warned that an Israeli offensive on Rafah, which is already hosting over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people, would jeopardize the core of the humanitarian aid operation.
The following are among the deadliest incidents reported between 1 and 3 March:
- On 1 March, at about 3:50, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house sheltering IDPs in Al Bureij Camp, in Deir al Balah, was struck.
- On 1 March, in the afternoon, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed, and many others injured, by airstrikes in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood in Gaza city.
- On 1 March, at about 23:50, 16 Palestinians were reportedly killed when several houses in Deir al Balah were struck.
- On 2 March, 20 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 16 others injured, when a house in western Jabalya Camp, in North Gaza, was struck.
- On 2 March, at about 23:00, 14 Palestinians were reportedly killed when a four-story house in As Salam neighbourhood, in southeast Rafah, was struck.
- On 2 March, at about 23:00, ten Palestinians were reportedly killed when a house near Abu Hussain School in Jabalya Refugee Camp was struck.
- On 3 March, at about 10:50, at least eight Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a civilian vehicle in Deir al Balah was struck.
According to MoH in Gaza, the death toll from the 29 February incident on Rashid Road south of Gaza city, where people were killed and injured while seeking lifesaving aid, has risen to 118, and tens of the 760 injured people remain in critical condition due to the lack of capacity to save their lives. In a press statement on 3 March, the UN Security Council members expressed deep concern about the incident as well as the estimation that the entire population of Gaza is facing alarming levels of acute food insecurity, urging Israel “to keep border crossings open for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, to facilitate the opening of additional crossings to meet humanitarian needs at scale, and to support the rapid and safe delivery of relief items to people in all of the Gaza Strip.” On 1 March, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) strongly deplored the incident, noting that since mid-January “the Office has recorded at least 14 incidents involving shooting and shelling of people gathered to receive desperately needed supplies at … two entrances to Gaza city - with a majority of these incidents resulting in casualties.” On 2 March, one Palestinian was reportedly killed and more than 20 injured by gunfire while people were gathering in anticipation of a humanitarian aid delivery on Rashid Road in Gaza city. Tens of casualties were also reported on 3 March, as people gathered to receive aid supplies at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza city, according to MoH in Gaza.
On 1 March, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that, after more than a month, a UN mission had managed to reach Shifa Hospital in Gaza city and deliver 19,000 litres of fuel, life-saving medicine for 150 people, and treatment for 50 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The Head of the OCHA Gaza Sub-Office stated that the hospital was treating more than 200 people injured during the 29 February incident on Rashid Road at the time of their visit. “We have seen people with gunshot wounds, we have seen amputees, and we have seen children as young as 12 that were injured ... These events cannot be allowed to go on. We need to have safe, secure passage throughout Gaza to reach the people that need humanitarian aid. We need every single crossing into Gaza opening and these people need to have not just food and water. We hope that in the coming days, large convoys with food will come into North Gaza, and in this way we can then reach people, talk to them, and see what other needs they have.”

West Bank Updates

On 2 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a 13-year-old boy, and injured another, at the entrance of the Al Jalazoun Refugee Camp in Ramallah, where they were from. According to Israeli media, the two children were attempting to throw Molotov cocktails.
On 2 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy during a search-and-arrest operation in Kafr Ni’ma village in Ramallah. According to local sources, the boy was shot while watching the forces withdraw.
On 2 March, an Israeli civilian was injured after being stabbed by a Palestinian man in Adh Dhahiriya community, Hebron. The man was transported to Israeli hospital and the suspected assailant later arrested.
On the morning of 4 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and injured two others when the forces raided Al Amari refugee camp in Ramallah; there were no clashes at the time of the killing. Subsequently, an exchange of fire took place between Palestinians and Israeli forces, in which a member of Israeli forces was injured.
Since 7 October 2023, 412 Palestinians have been killed, including 106 children, and 4,623 Palestinians have been injured, including 710 children, in conflict-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Since the beginning of the year, 99 Palestinians have been killed, including 28 in refugee camps. Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, were killed and 88 injured in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
On 29 February, the Israeli authorities demolished 18 structures in the Jericho area, five of which were residential, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, resulting in the displacement of seven people, including three children. Most of the remaining structures included external kitchens and bathrooms, agricultural structures and solar panel systems. Since 7 October 2023, 599 people, including 285 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.
On 24 January, the Israeli authorities sealed off a house on punitive grounds in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, displacing four people. The house belonged to the family of a Palestinian who shot at Israeli soldiers at one of the gates leading to the old city of Jerusalem on 12 October 2023, slightly injuring two soldiers, before being shot and killed. Since 7 October, a total of 23 houses have been punitively demolished and two others sealed off, leading to the displacement of 121 Palestinians, including 51 children.
Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 607 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (53 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (484 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (70 incidents).

Funding

The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 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), was extended through the end of March 2024. As of 4 March, member states disbursed nearly $956 million against the updated Flash Appeal (78 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and $341 million out of $600 million (57 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
The occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) and the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) are currently funding more than 94 ongoing projects in the Gaza Strip to meet urgent humanitarian needs, notwithstanding constraints on the entry and delivery of aid into and within the Gaza Strip. These interventions, totalling about $88 million, address needs in the areas of food security, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health and protection. Since October 7, the oPt HF has received a total of $88 million in contributions from member states and private donors. Private donations are collected directly through the Humanitarian Fund.

For the Humanitarian Needs and Cluster Response Updates for the period between 27 February and 4 March, please visit Humanitarian needs and response update | 27 February – 4 March 2024.