Some 90 per cent of mothers and children in Gaza are not eating a diverse diet, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). Photo by UNICEF/Eyad Al Baba

Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #136

11 Mar 2024

Key Highlights

The death toll from malnutrition and dehydration has risen to 25, including 21 children, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
On 8 March, at least five Palestinians were reportedly killed due to the malfunction of a parachute of a humanitarian aid airdrop.
An NGO aid worker was killed in Gaza on 8 March.
On 9 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) delivered orthopedic and trauma items as well as fuel to Al Ahli and As Sahaba hospitals in northern Gaza.
Since the beginning of 2024, about 560 Palestinians have been displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, due to the demolition of their homes.

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 Hamad area northwest of Khan Younis, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.
Between the afternoon of 8 March and 09:30 on 11 March, according to the MoH in Gaza, 234 Palestinians were killed, and 358 Palestinians were injured, including 67 killed and 106 injured in the past 24 hours. Between 7 October 2023 and 9:30 on 11 March 2024, at least 31,112 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and 72,760 Palestinians were injured, of whom 72 per cent are women and children, according to MoH in Gaza.
The following are among the deadly incidents reported between 8 and 10 March:
- On 8 March, at about 11:45, 12 Palestinians were reportedly killed when two houses in Al Qarara area, northeast of Khan Younis, were hit.
- On 8 March, at about 15:40, at least eight Palestinians were reportedly killed, and 60 others injured, when a residential building in Az Zawayda area, in Deir al Balah, was hit.
- On 8 March, at about 16:46, at least three Palestinians were reportedly killed when an apartment in the Brazil neighbourhood, south of Rafah, was hit.
- On 8 March, during the day, at least five Palestinians were reportedly killed when airdropped humanitarian aid reportedly fell on Palestinians due to a malfunction in the parachutes near Al Fayrouz Towers in Gaza city.
- On 9 March, at about 11:00, 13 Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when two houses in western An Nuseirat were hit.
- On 9 March, at about 18:40, five Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when a house in Al Baraka area in Deir al Balah was hit. Other Palestinians remain under the rubble.
- On 10 March, at about 6:20, 15 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and others injured, when tents used by internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Al Mawasi area were hit.
Between the afternoons of 8 and 11 March, according to the Israeli military, two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. As of 11 March, 247 soldiers have been killed and 1,474 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 11 March, the Israeli authorities estimate that 134 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
Hostilities in Gaza continue to endanger the lives of humanitarian aid workers. On 8 March, Anera reported that its logistics coordinator in Gaza was killed, along with 30-50 other people, in an Israeli airstrike on a shelter in Deir al Balah. The coordinates of the shelter had been shared with the Israeli authorities, according to Anera. Demanding an independent investigation, Anera emphasized “the urgent need for accountability and reliable measures to ensure the safety of aid workers.”
The malnutrition crisis in Gaza is accelerating at an unprecedented pace due to the alarming lack of food, water and health services, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). WFP adds that the crisis heightens the risk of long-term health impacts and is disproportionately affecting women and children, with 90 per cent of mothers and children not eating a diverse diet. As of 10 March, MoH in Gaza reported that the death toll as a result of malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza has risen to 25, noting that the figure only reflects hospitalized cases. This includes three children who died at Shifa Hospital on 9 March as well as a two-month-old baby and a 20-year-old woman who died at Kamal Adwan hospital on 10 March, according to the MoH in Gaza. Reiterating its call for a ceasefire and the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza, Save the Children warned: “Children in Gaza cannot wait to eat. They are already dying from malnutrition and saving their lives is a matter of hours or days – not weeks.”
On 8 March, UNFPA, OCHA, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) carried out a rapid assessment of Al Ahli and As Sahaba hospitals in Gaza city. Al Ahli Hospital is severely damaged, although a reduction in the intensity of hostilities in the area has improved patients’ access, and some IDPs remain on the grounds of the hospital. Only two surgeons are on staff, and the hospital is relying on volunteers. The facility can treat up to 50 patients and currently has 40 patients, but when over one hundred Palestinians were killed on 29 February while waiting for an aid distribution, it had to cope with approximately 200 patients. Despite being overworked and lacking food for themselves, the medical staff are able to perform general surgery and limited neurology and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services. However, they are in urgent need of specialized equipment and, especially, fuel. As Sahaba Hospital, which specializes in maternity care, is also under-staffed and under-fuelled, with extreme shortages of oxygen and anaesthetics. Staff reported preforming C-section cases with local anesthetics. The inter-agency team delivered maternity equipment and medicine to both hospitals, while UNFPA provided reproductive health kits to As Sahaba hospital and conducted a needs assessment to identify critical maternity and reproductive health needs. On 9 March, WHO delivered orthopedic and trauma items for 150 patients and 13,000 litres of fuel to Al Ahli Hospital, and 12,000 litres of fuel to As Sahaba Hospital. On 10 March, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reiterated: “We need sustained, safe access to health facilities in order to supply them with urgently needed lifesaving healthcare on a regular basis.”

West Bank Updates

On 8 March, according to the Israeli military, seven Israeli soldiers were wounded near the Israeli settlement of Homesh by an explosion, allegedly caused by Palestinians. The explosion followed the opening of fire by armed Palestinians at a military post near the settlement. Consequently, Israeli forces launched a manhunt in Nablus city and the surrounding villages.
Since 7 October, 417 Palestinians have been killed and 4,665 Palestinians have been injured, including 718 children, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 102 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and Israel, compared with 78 in the same period in 2023, the majority by Israeli forces.
Since 7 October, 15 Israelis, including four members of Israeli forces, have been killed and 97 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Since the beginning of 2024, about 560 Palestinians, including 212 children, have been displaced across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, because of the demolition of their homes (estimated at 116 houses). More than half of them (over 300) were displaced during operations carried out by Israeli forces, 90 per cent of whom were displaced during operations in refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin governorates. Only 21 people were displaced in the same context during the equivalent period of 2023. The remaining displacements included 36 per cent displaced following the demolition of homes due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits; and eight per cent on punitive grounds.
On 10 March, Israeli forces deployed heavy forces at entrances leading to the old city of Jerusalem, denying the entry of young Palestinian men through the gates of Al Aqsa Mosque. Israeli forces also reportedly physically assaulted Palestinians, including women and older persons. Since 7 October, and although there was no official announcement to this effect, the Israeli authorities have been imposing heavy restrictions on access to Al Aqsa Mosque compound on Fridays.
Between 7 October 2023 and 7 March 2024, some 866 Palestinians, including 358 children, have been displaced because of the destruction of their houses during operations carried out by Israeli forces. The vast majority (93 per cent) of displaced people were in the refugee camps of Nur Shams, Tulkarm and Jenin, where Israeli forces also regularly bulldozed roads and caused extensive damage to electricity, water and sewage infrastructure.
Since 7 October 2023, OCHA has recorded 626 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in Palestinian casualties (56 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (499 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (71 incidents).

Funding

The Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), which requests US$1.2 billion to meet the 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 11 March, member states disbursed nearly $973 million for the updated Flash Appeal (79 per cent); this includes about $616 million out of $629 million (98 per cent) requested for October-December 2023 and $357 million out of $600 million (59 per cent) requested for January-March 2024. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.
During February 2024, the oPt Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) had a total of 122 ongoing projects, for a total of US$ 74.5 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (83 per cent) and West Bank (17 per cent). Projects focus on the areas of Education, Food Security, Health, Protection, Emergency Shelter & NFI, WASH, Coordination and Support Services, Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance and Nutrition. Of these, 77 projects are being implemented by international NGOs (INGOs), 29 projects by national NGOs (NNGOs), and 16 projects by UN agencies. Of the 93 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN, 52 are being implemented in partnership with NNGOs. The oPt HF has also recently finalized its critical and time sensitive First Reserve Allocation of 2024, titled "Emergency Fleet Augmentation for Enhanced Gaza Aid Delivery", amounting to US$3.5 million. The allocation aims at boosting the aid transport capacity to enable humanitarian partners to increase the delivery of vital aid and services to people across the Gaza Strip. For a summary of the oPt HF activities in February 2024, please follow this link. Since 7 October, 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 Update for the period between 5 and 11 March, please visit: Humanitarian needs and response update | 5-11 March 2024.