Humanitarian Access Snapshot - Gaza Strip | July 2024

22 Aug 2024

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION: KEY FIGURES

General overview

In July there were 543 coordinated humanitarian movements in Gaza, which were initiated under the Humanitarian Notification System. This is up from 414 in June. While only 7 per cent of movements in June were denied, this rose to 15 per cent in July, significantly impacting humanitarian access and operations. The number of facilitated movements decreased from 64 per cent in June to 58 per cent in July. In the south, 12 per cent of movements were impeded, whereas in the north, this figure was more than doubled to 27 per cent.

Movement impediments inside Gaza

For humanitarian movements to pass between the north and the south they must first proceed to a holding point (HP) and wait for permission from Israeli authorities to approach a checkpoint (CP). There have been numerous incidents associated with this process. Firstly, only one CP is open at any given time; meaning there are bottlenecks in movement as all humanitarian missions must move through the same CP, which is insufficient to the size of humanitarian requirements. Secondly, convoys are often forced to wait at holding points for long periods of time, exposing them to risks, including active fighting and interception by looters. In July, two UN humanitarian movements were impacted by live ammunition, resulting in damage to the vehicles.

Displacement of population

July saw six successive evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army. As a result of this, the area of Gaza covered by evacuation orders rose to 84 per cent. This also greatly reduces the area in which humanitarian aid can be delivered without needing to coordinate movements due to hostilities. In total, 120sqkm of the Gaza strip was covered by evacuation orders in July, approximately one third of the total mass of the area, and impacting the approximately 170,000 people, many of them displaced, who have been residing in those areas.

This has drastically impacted affected communities’ ability to access vital services. For example, in July alone, evacuation orders made an additional 10 hospitals, 16 primary health centers and 4 medical points inaccessible to people who desperately need these services.