Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #26

KEY POINTS

• On 1 November at 11:00, the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened for the movement of people, allowing the evacuation of about 81 wounded Palestinians to an Egyptian field hospital, alongside some 345 foreign passport holders. This is the first time since 10 October that Rafah has opened for the movement of people. The Erez crossing with Israel remains closed. 
• On 1 November, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital in Gaza city reportedly ran out of fuel and was forced to stop most of its activities, rendering 70 cancer patients at serious life risk. Today at 20:00, the Al Hilo Hospital, also in Gaza city, was reportedly struck by shelling; the hospital had absorbed and replaced Shifa hospital’s maternity ward, which is being used now to treat the wounded. Currently, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities across Gaza are not functioning.

• The 26th day of hostilities witnessed the continuation of Israeli ground operations, primarily in northern Gaza and the outskirts of Gaza city, alongside intense bombardments. Between 31 October (noon) and 1 November (14:00), 280 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, bringing the reported fatality toll since the start of the hostilities to 8,805, of whom about two-thirds are children and women, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. On 31 October, 13 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza during the ground operations, according to Israeli official sources.
• Gaza city and northern Gaza have been largely cut off from the rest of the strip as a result of the Israeli ground operations and related clashes with Palestinian armed groups. Delivery of humanitarian aid from the south to about 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the north has come to a halt. 
• On 1 November, as of 14:00, ten trucks carrying water, food and medicines had entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, bringing the total number of trucks entering since 21 October to 227. The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities. Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stated on 1 November that the “trucks which have crossed into Gaza so far following painstaking negotiations offer some relief but are nowhere near enough.” 
• Between 03:00 and 11:15 on 1 November, Gaza’s telecommunication and internet services were cut for the second time in six days, leaving the civilians in grave danger amid heavy Israeli bombardments from air and land. 
• As of 1 November, more than 1.4 million people in Gaza were internally displaced, with over 690,400 sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities. In recent days, tens of thousands of IDPs, who were previously staying with host families, have relocated into public shelters, seeking food and basic services. This has increased pressure on already overcrowded shelters. The average number of IDPs per UNRWA shelter is nearly four times their intended capacity.  
• Indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population continued over the past 24 hours, with no fatalities reported. Overall, about 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 240 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages were released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. On 1 November, Hamas claimed that seven hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia Refugee Camp. This follows their earlier claim that another 50 hostages had been killed in similar circumstances. 
• The Emergency Relief Coordinator called on 1 November to “the warring parties to agree to pauses in the fighting,” adding that “this is the only viable option to get relief items into Gaza right now … alleviating people’s suffering and reducing the risk of civil disorder.” 
• In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including one child, between the afternoon of 31 October and noontime on 1 November. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October to 128, including 35 children, alongside one Israeli soldier killed by Palestinians. 
• In the night between 31 October and 1 November, Israeli forces arrested at least 70 Palestinians, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, bringing the total number of those arrested since 7 October to at least 1,830, according to Palestinian sources. UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has received consistent and credible reports of widespread cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees. Two Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since 7 October. 

Gaza Humanitarian Overview

Hostilities and Casualties

According to the Israeli military, infantry and armoured forces continued their ground operations within northern Gaza, especially in the Al Karama area, Jabalia – northwest of Gaza city, and Az Zaitoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza city. Exchanges of fire and airstrikes reportedly continued also in the Middle Gaza, especially in east Al Maghazi and Al Bureij, as well as in An Nuseirat camp. Bombardment and airstrikes continued over the past 24 hours. 

The following were some of the deadliest incidents: on 1 November, at about 13:00, for the second day in a row and within less than 24 hours, heavy airstrikes hit Jabalia Refugee Camp, reportedly destroying multiple residential buildings, and killing dozens. On 31 October, an Israeli airstrike hit the nine-floor ‘Mohandessin Tower’ in An Nuseirat camp (Middle Area), reportedly killing 45 Palestinians and injuring dozens. On 1 November, at around 04:15, airstrikes reportedly hit two buildings in Khan Yunis, killing 12 Palestinians and injuring 40 others. 

Since 7 October, 8,805 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 3,648 children and 2,187 women, and about 22,240 have been injured, according to the MoH in Gaza.  

Rescue teams, primarily from the Palestinian Civil Defense, are struggling to carry out their missions, amid continuous airstrikes, severe shortage of fuel to run vehicles and equipment. This is particularly concerning as thousands are estimated to be trapped under rubble. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that, due to the lack of fuel, it had been forced to reduce the number of ambulances it operates.  

According to the MoH in Gaza, over two thirds of the fatalities were killed in their homes. Relatedly, as of 26 October, a total of 192 Palestinian families have lost ten or more of their members, 136 Palestinian families have lost six to nine members, and 444 families have lost two to five of their members, the Ministry says.  

Since 7 October, 19 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA premises have been killed and 310 have been injured. In total, 44 UNRWA installations have been damaged since 7 October. As of 1 November, 70 UNRWA staff have been killed during the hostilities; this is the highest number of UN aid workers to be killed in such a short period of time. 

On 31 October, the Committee to Protect Journalists indicated that 31 journalists had been killed thus far since the start of the hostilities, including 26 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese. 

Indiscriminate rocket firing by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population continued over the past 24 hours, with no fatalities or injuries reported. 

According to Israeli sources, at least 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, and at least 5,400 have been injured, the vast majority on 7 October. Since Israeli forces began their ground assault, 15 Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed. Israeli media reported that, as of 31 October, the names of 1,138 of these fatalities have been released, including 826 civilians and police, and 315 soldiers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 31 are children. 

Displacement

The cumulative number of IDPs since the start of hostilities in Gaza is estimated at over 1.4 million. This figure includes nearly 690,400 people staying in 149 UNRWA facilities, 121,750 sheltering in hospitals, churches, and other public buildings, and about 96,400 in 76 non-UNRWA schools. The remaining 550,000-600,000 IDPs are residing with host families, with as many as 150,000 having relocated to shelters in the past few days, seeking food and basic services. 

The average number of IDPs per shelter in UNRWA facilities has reached almost four times their intended capacity. The Khan Younis Training Centre is currently the most crowded shelter, hosting 22,100 IDPs, more than ten times its capacity. 

Over 15 per cent of the IDPs are estimated to have disabilities, yet most shelters are not adequately equipped for their needs. Shelters lack the required medical mattresses and beds, causing ulcers for people unable to move and other medical issues that cannot be treated in unsterilized conditions. In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 2,600 persons with disabilities, injured persons, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits. 

In Israel, hundreds of thousands of people residing near the Gaza Strip, as well as along the border with Lebanon, have fled or been evacuated, with the Israeli authorities providing for the needs of these IDPs (this report focuses on the humanitarian situation in Gaza). 

Basic services and livelihoods

Electricity

Since 11 October, Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply to Gaza, which in turn triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant. This has forced essential service infrastructure to rely on backup generators, which are limited by the scarcity of fuel in the Strip. Goods entering Gaza since 21 October through the Rafah crossing have not included fuel.

Health care

Following the shutdown of services due to lack of fuel and electricity in the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, the MoH in Gaza stated that Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and the Indonesian Hospital, in Beit Lahiya, were almost out of fuel, and appealed to the international community and locals in assisting with providing fuel. They warned that 42 children under life support devices, 62 wounded using respiration equipment and 650 patients with kidney failure were at the highest risk, should the electricity cut off. 

Currently, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities are not functioning, in addition to two outpatient specialist centres. Additionally, 71 per cent (51/72) of all primary care facilities across Gaza (72) are not functioning, including 74 per cent of those located in Gaza City and 92 per cent of those in northern Gaza. 

All operating hospitals and clinics are affected by severe fuel shortages, leading to stringent rationing and limited use of generators for only the most essential functions. Moreover, maintaining and repairing backup generators, originally not intended for continuous operation, is growing increasingly challenging due to the scarcity of spare parts. 

Health partners have documented an increase in cases of skin and diarrheal diseases among IDPs in shelters due to the inadequate access to water and sanitation services. Upper respiratory infections are also on the rise due to the overcrowding and poor living conditions within the shelters, especially as the temperatures have started to drop.  

The ongoing hostilities have displaced most of the medical professionals in Gaza, forcing the hospitals to operate with less than one-third of their normal staffing levels, according to MoH in Gaza.  

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

As of 17:00 on 31 October, one out of the three water supply lines from Israel, servicing the Middle area, was restored for the first time since it was cut off on 8 October, providing some 500 cubic metres of drinking water per hour to Nuseirat, Bureij, Maghazi, and Zawaida areas. 

By contrast, supply from Israel to western Khan Younis, which stopped on 30 October for unclear reasons, was not restored. This line previously supplied 600 cubic metres of drinking water per hour. The third pipeline from Israel to northern Gaza remains also closed since 8 October. 

In the Middle Area and southern Gaza, the operation of two seawater desalination plants at about 40 per cent of their capacity, alongside 120 water wells and 20 pumping stations, has continued. This has been enabled by the delivery of small amounts of fuel by UNRWA and UNICEF. As a result, households still connected to the water network have been receiving water for a few hours a day, while others have received water by trucks. 

All water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support is currently limited to southern Gaza. Neither the water desalination plant nor the Israeli pipeline supplying Gaza city and northern Gaza are operational. While UNRWA and UNICEF have also provided limited amounts of fuel to several water wells, water is provided by trucks only. In recent days, water trucking activities inside Gaza stopped due to ongoing military operations. 

On 1 November, eight trucks out of the aid convoy carried about 80,000 litres of water, which will cover water needs for 15,000 people for one day and is set to be distributed among the IDP centres in the south of Gaza. Overall, out of the 227 trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October, at least 26 carried drinking water (jerrycans and bottles), water tanks, water purification equipment, and hygiene kits.  

Food security

Eleven bakeries have been struck and destroyed since 7 October (six in Gaza city, two in Jabalia, two in the Middle Area and one in Khan Younis). As a result, people are struggling to obtain bread. Hours-long queues are reported in front of bakeries, where people are exposed to airstrikes.  

As of 1 November, only one of the bakeries contracted by the World Food Programme (WFP), and eight additional local bakeries, mainly in the southern and middle areas, were operational and supplying bread to shelters. UNRWA continued to cooperate with these local bakeries and supply them with flour, allowing them to offer bread at half the cost. The shortage of fuel is the primary obstacle preventing these bakeries from meeting local demand.  

Whenever possible, UNRWA has been distributing hot meals to IDPs in shelters, mostly donations received from host communities. While limited, this assistance plays an important support role, given the limited access to the local market and the inability of many IDPs to prepare hot meals at their shelters.  

Forty of the trucks that entered Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 31 October carried food items, including ready-to-eat food, such as canned tuna, canned meat, and other non-perishables. Overall, over 100 out of the trucks that have entered since 21 October, carried food.  

Telecommunications 

Between 03:00 and 11:15 on 1 November, Gaza’s telecommunication and internet services were cut for the second time in six days. Ambulances and Civil Defense teams were unable to locate the injured, as thousands of people were estimated to be still under the rubble. Civilians were unable to receive updated information on where they can access humanitarian relief and where they may move to be in lesser danger. 

Since the escalation of hostilities, the Gaza Strip has experienced a significant reduction in internet access. Sixty per cent of electric boxes and remote switches were out of service, 65 per cent of households and businesses have lost access to the network and 36 per cent of local fiber routes were lost due to fiber cuts affecting both fixed and mobile networks. Almost half of local networks were damaged as well, which included street poles, cables, and fiber trenches. 

The mobile company Jawwal, which serves over 85 per cent of Gaza’s residents, has lost 65 per cent of its radio sites. 

Humanitarian operations

All humanitarian agencies and personnel have faced significant constraints in providing humanitarian assistance, due to ongoing hostilities, movement restrictions and shortages of electricity, fuel, water, medicines, and other essential items. Humanitarian partners cannot safely access people in need and warehouses where aid supplies are stored. 

Additionally, the dramatic shutdown in internet connectivity has hindered efforts to monitor, document and report, including possible violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law. 

Despite these challenges, humanitarian actors are working around the clock to support the most vulnerable. The major operation entails the hosting of IDPs in UNRWA schools, where basic food, medicine and support is provided to retain dignity and a glimmer of hope. Other interventions include the distribution of food and cash assistance to IDPs and emergency fuel to WASH facilities, psychosocial support helplines, and a mass media campaign to raise awareness about the risks of unexploded ordnance (for further detail, see Humanitarian Needs and Responses). 

West Bank Humanitarian Overview

Casualties

In the West Bank, between the afternoon of 31 October and 21:00 on 1 November, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including one child and an elderly man. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October to 128, including 35 children. Of these, 120 people, including 34 children, were killed by Israeli forces; and eight, including one child, by Israeli settlers. One member of Israeli forces was killed by Palestinians. 

The number of Palestinians killed since 7 October represents more than one third of all Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank so far in 2023 (372). 

The deadliest incident, which resulted in three of these fatalities, took place during an Israeli search-and-arrest operation in Jenin Refugee Camp on 1 November. The operation involved clashes between residents and Israeli forces, as well as exchange of fire, during which one Palestinian was killed. Also, during the incident, Israeli forces launched an airstrike using a drone, causing damage, and bulldozed sections of a road. Damage to water networks and homes is yet to be assessed. This is the fourth Israeli operation in Jenin Refugee Camp in the past ten days (since 22 October). 

Two additional fatalities were documented in two separate incidents. On 31 October, Israeli forces shot and killed with live ammunition a 16-year-old child during confrontations that erupted over the course of a protest in solidarity with Gaza in Beit Ummar village (Hebron). On 1 November, Israeli forces shot and killed a bystander elderly man with mental disability during a search-and-arrest operation in Tulkarm city that involved exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinians.  

Of the Palestinian fatalities since 7 October, almost 50 per cent were killed during confrontations that followed Israeli search-and-arrest operations; 35 per cent were in the context of demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza; and most of the remaining 10 per cent were killed while attacking or allegedly attacking Israeli forces or settlers, and in settler attacks against Palestinians.  

Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 2,214 Palestinians, including at least 234 children.60 Palestinians were injured by settlers, including nine with live ammunition. About 1,200 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces in the context of demonstrations. Some 27 per cent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition.  

Settler-related Violence

In the past 24 hours, in three incidents, Israeli settlers broke into At Taybe community near Tarqumia town (Hebron) and Khallet al Louza community and Al Khadr town (both in Bethlehem) and vandalized two residential and three agricultural-related structures. 

The already high level of Israeli settler violence recorded during the first nine months of 2023 has sharply increased since the escalation of hostilities. Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 186 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (26 incidents), damage to Palestinian property (128 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (32 incidents). This reflects a daily average of seven incidents, compared with three since the beginning of the year.  

Out of the 186 settler attacks, more than one-third involved threats with firearms, including shooting. Almost half of all incidents involved Israeli forces accompanying or actively supporting the attackers. Many of the latter incidents were followed by confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians, where three Palestinians were killed, and dozens injured. Affected properties included 25 residential structures, 42 agricultural/animal-related structures, 74 vehicles and more than 670 trees and saplings. 

Displacement

In the past 24 hours, a total of 36 Palestinians were displaced due to settler violence in Hebron and another 21 due to the demolition of their homes in East Jerusalem.  

On 31 October, Palestinian families were forced to demolish their homes in Ras Al ‘Amud and Sur Bahir areas in East Jerusalem, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. As a result, four Palestinian households, comprising 21 members, including eleven children were displaced. Since 7 October, 113 Palestinians, including 54 children, have been displaced following demolitions in Area C and East Jerusalem, due to lack of permits, and another 23, including 13 children following punitive demolitions, targeting the family homes of perpetrators and alleged perpetrators of fatal attacks against Israelis.  

On 1 November, five Palestinian households, comprising 36 members, including 20 children, were displaced from Al Ganoub community in Hebron, after a series of settler attacks including vandalizing water tanks, solar systems, setting fire to two residential structures with all the families’ belongings inside, including medicine, money, clothes, and food. Additionally, settlers pointed guns at residents, threatening to kill them if they did not leave and then stole their livestock. Earlier, on 11 October, five families, comprising 40 members, including 20 children left the area along with their livestock.  

Since 7 October, at least 103 households comprising 864 people, including 333 children, have been displaced in this context. The displaced households are from more than 15 herding/Bedouin communities. 

Detention and ill-treatment 

UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has received a number consistent and credible reports of systematic cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees, and of physical and psychological violence against family members. 

OHCHR documented one of these cases, where a man arrested by Israeli forces on 31 October. A video shows an Israeli soldier kicking the man several times in the stomach and calling him with racist names, while the man is kneeled, blindfolded and with hands tied behind his back. During the same arrest operation, Israeli forces damaged the house contents and reportedly threatened the man's family with shooting if they did not cooperate. OHCHR has documented similar cases of beating and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees, possibly amounting to torture. 

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSES

Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)

Priority Needs

• Access to basic needs and services is severely halted by the lack of resources and the security situation. IDPs outside formal shelters have extremely limited access to assistance. Those are prioritized for Emergency MPCA. 
• Banks are temporarily closed, limiting access to cash. The capacities of financial service providers are severely limited and change by the hour (partners currently using PalPay). 
• Depletion of stocked items to be purchased is worsening. 

Response to Date

• Some 17,874 households started receiving Emergency MPCA (NIS754 or $187 per household) as of 26 October. Redemption rates were reported as up to 86 per cent. 

Protection

Priority Needs

• An estimated 20,000 people in need of specialized mental health services, including mental health drugs, who are in precarious situations with the disruption to mental health services. 
• Documentation of violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law. 
• Opening roads, safe access to basic needs, medicines, mental health support, and ambulance services in the West Bank. 

Response to Date

• Some 3,000 IDPs have received psychosocial support and social work intervention services from UNRWA social workers and counsellors since the crisis began. 
• In the West Bank, UNRWA provided psychosocial support services to 155 Palestinian workers from Gaza, in Hebron, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, and to 240 students at Nur Shams Boys’ schools. 
• One partner reached at least 4,000 IDPs in shelters in Gaza and provided psychological first aid (PFA) and needs assessment for non-food items (NFIs) and assistive devices. 
• Partners provided about 700 psychological, social, and legal consultations for gender-based violence (GBV) incidents. Furthermore, 1,144 first psychiatric medical services were provided for GBV cases. 
• UNICEF is leading the mapping of orphanages and shelters which host children with a view to support Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC) registration, to facilitate identification, reunification, and alternative care options at national level (both Gaza and the West Bank). 

Shelter

Priority Needs

• Urgent need to provide services and basic shelter and NFI to IDPs.  
• Provision of NFIs and house maintenance for people displaced in urban centres and with host families. 
• Provision of shelter cash assistance for IDPs (reintegration package and belongings loss compensation) for at least 25,000 families. 

Response to Date

• Some 690,400 IDPs are hosted at 149 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip. 
• Distribution of 20,000 NFIs in Rafah and Khan Younis, including bedding sets and dignity kits. 
• Distribution of 820 hygiene kits to displaced families.  
• ICRC/PRCS distributed 15,500 NFIs for displaced families, mainly mattresses and blankets.  

Health

Priority Needs

• Improve the nutritional status, particularly of about 283,000 children under five and pregnant or lactating women, in response to the concerning food security and water situation in Gaza. 
• Ensuring the provision of Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies, including preventive nutrition interventions, cash voucher assistance, curative nutrition interventions, intact nutrition supplies pipeline, and a functional nutrition coordination mechanism. 
• Addressing shortages of medical supplies impacting case management. 
• Fuel supply for hospitals and ambulances. 
• Urgent need to restock medical supplies given depletion of stocks in the local market. 
• Need for short and long-term mental health and psychosocial support services for large numbers of psychologically traumatized people. 
• Access to mobile clinics for 29 communities in Area C locations in Hebron, Jenin and Qalqiliya who have not had access since escalations began.

Response to Date

• UNRWA continues to provide primary healthcare services in the shelters, through 95 mobile medical units and medical teams.  
• PMRS has eight mobile health teams also providing primary healthcare services to IDPs and expects to increase the number to twelve. 
• Partners are continuing to mobilize resources in Cairo; with support from WHO, the Health Cluster has deployed a logistics team based in Cairo to assist partners with health coordination. 

Food Security

Priority Needs

• Electricity, fuel, and water sources to maintain agriculture. 
• Many shops have food supplies to last less than a week. 
• Safe access to farms, livestock, fisheries, and other livelihoods. 
• Urgent import of fodder. 

Response to Date

• WFP has reached more than 550,000 people with emergency food and cash assistance since the crisis began, most of them IDPs in UNRWA DES. On 1 November, 3,400 displaced persons in host families received food parcels. As of 1 November 23,721, people redeemed WFP’s cash-based transfer assistance in active shops. 
• Oxfam covered 189 households in Gaza governorate.  
• Dan Church Aid (DCA) covered 18,000 households sheltering in UNRWA DES in the Gaza governorate.  
• Islamic Relief Palestine provided food assistance to 10,000 IDPS in non-URWA shelter or with host families. 
• Anera provides hot meals to a total of 120,000 people. Food parcels, 80 per cent to UNRWA DES shelters, 20 per cent to hosting communities and other smaller scale shelters. 2,000 Households in North Gaza and 12,000 households in Khan Yunis have already been covered. 10,000 households in the Middle Area are still ongoing. Vegetable baskets to host families and small-scale shelters, for 2,000 IDPs (UN shelter) in Khan Younis and 2,000 IDPs (UN shelter) in Middle Area. Planning food parcels distributed covering 1,000 IDPs in collective shelters and host families.  

Education

Priority Needs

• Safe access to schools and communities.

Planned Responses

• Provision of school-based psychosocial support and recreational activities for at least 70,000 children and school staff as soon as the situation allows.  
• Emergency rehabilitation for at least 20 damaged schools, following a cluster rapid needs assessment. 
• Provision of emergency supplies and learning kits to 10,000 children in DES and 50,000 children in schools once they reopen. 
• Provision of catch-up classes, especially to displaced children (at least 20,000 children). 

WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)

Priority Needs

• Provision of clean drinking water. 
• Provision of alternative power supply and 20,000 litres per day of emergency fuel to sustain the operation of WASH facilities, along with replenishing the chlorine supply for water treatment plants. 
• Support to restore disrupted municipal services, including solid waste management, water, and sanitation operations, as appealed by the Gaza Strip municipalities. 
• Delivery of essential WASH services and provisions to IDPs in collective centres, including drinking water and hygiene kits. 

Response to Date

• Some 9,000 hygiene kits were distributed to families in the UNRWA IDP centres since 7 October. 
• 1,950 cubic metres of drinking water have been trucked to IDP centres and host families since 7 October. 
• 175 cubic metres of bottled water distributed among IDPs in UNRWA shelters since 7 October. 
• Four water storage tanks, with a capacity of 10 cubic metres, and twenty others, with a capacity of 1.5 cubic metres each, to be used at community and IDP centres  were received through Rafah crossing. 
• 8,000 units of ten litres of water capacity were delivered through Rafah crossing 
• 4,000 water purification tools for the hosted families in vulnerable communities and IDP centers were delivered through Rafah crossing. 

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 counseling and referrals for affected communities to access life-saving services. The PSEA Network monitors calls daily and will increase the number of counselors if necessary.