Humanitarian Situation Update #191 | Gaza Strip

The Humanitarian Situation Update is issued by OCHA Occupied Palestinian Territory three times per week. The Gaza Strip is covered on Mondays and Fridays, and the West Bank is covered on Wednesdays. The next update will be issued on 17 July.

Key Highlights

• Three mass casualty incidents took place on 13 and 14 July; in Khan Younis, patients filled the already overwhelmed Nasser Medical Complex, amid lack of beds, sheeting and hygiene equipment. 
• Sixty-three per cent of permanent crop fields in Gaza have been damaged, a recent preliminary analysis by UNOSAT finds.  
• Digital wallets introduced as a means of providing humanitarian assistance to address cash liquidity challenges. 

Humanitarian Developments

• Between the afternoons of 11 and 15 July, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza, 319 Palestinians were killed and 802 were injured. Between 7 October 2023 and 15 July 2024, at least 38,664 Palestinians were killed and 89,097 were injured, according to MoH in Gaza.  
• At least three mass casualty incidents took place on 13 and 14 July. On the morning of 13 July, the Israeli military reportedly hit Al Mawasi area in Khan Younis, including tents of internally displaced people (IDPs), a food kitchen, and a water point. MoH in Gaza reported that the incident resulted in the killing of 90 people, half of them women and children, and the injury of 300 others, including some critically (additional information on the injured is available below). Fatalities include three members of Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD) teams that  were reportedly targeted when they arrived at the scene. On the same day, at about 13:00, a makeshift prayer site was hit in Ash Shati' (Beach) Refugee Camp, west of Gaza city, resulting in the killing of 22 people according to a health official at Al Ahli Hospital quoted in the media. On 14 July, the UNRWA An Nuseirat Elementary Co-educational "B"& "D" school (also known as Abu Oreiban school), where IDPs were sheltering, was hit; according to the Government Media Office (GMO), 15 people were killed and 80 others were injured. 
• The following are among other deadly incidents reported between 11 and 14 July:  
  • On 11 July, at about 11:20, at least six Palestinians, including two women and a girl, were reportedly killed when a residential building was hit in Ash Shuja’iyeh area, in Gaza city. 
  • On 11 July, at about 21:35, eight Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured when a group of people were hit near IDP tents on Al Saleeb road in the centre of Khan Younis city. 
  • On 13 July, at about 20:10, four Palestinians, including two women and a girl, were reportedly killed and others injured when a house was hit in the vicinity of Al-Ihsan Mosque in Camp 1 of An Nuseirat, in Deir al Balah. 
  • On 14 July, at about 2:00, five Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens injured when an apartment was hit near Al Sha’biya junction, in Gaza city. 
  • On 14 July, at about 5:30, seven Palestinians were reportedly killed and seven others injured when a house was hit in Abu Iskander area in Ash Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, north of Gaza city.  
• Between the afternoons of 12 and 15 July, there were no Israeli soldiers reported killed in Gaza, according to the Israeli military. Between 7 October 2023 and 15 July 2024, according to the Israeli military and official Israeli sources cited in the media, over 1,526 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, the majority on 7 October and its immediate aftermath and including 326 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza or along the border in Israel since the beginning of the ground operation. In addition, 2,128 soldiers were reported injured since the beginning of the ground operation. As of 15 July, it is estimated that 120 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld. 
• The 13 July strikes on Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis resulted in a mass casualty influx at the Nasser Medical Complex, which was already operating beyond capacity after absorbing the majority of patients evacuated from the European Gaza Hospital in early July. WHO reported that 134 severely injured people were admitted to Nasser hospital, 120 to the International Medical Corps (IMC) field hospital in Deir al Balah, and others were treated at the Kuwait, Al Quds and UK-Med field hospitals in Khan Younis and the ICRC field hospital in Rafah.  WHO staff and two emergency medical teams were present at Nasser hospital to treat the injured and WHO dispatched 50 foldable beds and 50 stretchers to the facility, which became unable to accept new patients as of the afternoon of 13 July. WHO also supported the IMC field hospital with medical and trauma care supplies. In a statement on 14 July, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, Scott Anderson, described the abysmal conditions he witnessed during his visit to Nasser hospital, where “many patients were treated on the ground without disinfectants” and there were “not enough beds, hygiene equipment, sheeting, or scrubs.”  
• Pregnant women in Gaza are finding it increasingly challenging to access the life-saving care they need due to repeated displacement, insecurity and attacks on healthcare facilities, coupled with unaffordable transportation costs and the lack of ambulance services. At present, according to UNFPA, comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care are available at only 11 hospitals and field hospitals, where dire fuel shortages are hampering the functioning of neonatal incubators and other vital equipment. UNFPA also reports that anecdotal information suggests that some emergency deliveries are taking place in tents without medical support. Water scarcity and limited maternal health medicines are also exposing pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) to various risks, as doctors continue to report rising numbers of preterm and low-birth weight babies, which are common indicators of severe malnourishment compounded by stress, fear and exhaustion. An estimated 30,000 pregnant women are facing acute levels of hunger (IPC Phase 3), more than 10,000 are on the verge of famine (IPC Phase 4) and close to 7,000 are in famine conditions (IPC Phase 5), with a total of 155,000 PBW in urgent need of increased food assistance and nutritious supplements, according to UNFPA. Protection and Health Cluster partners and coordinators have been working to scale up sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including by recruiting, training and equipping displaced health workers, particularly midwives, to provide antenatal and postnatal care services and attend emergency deliveries in selected health facilities. UNFPA, in collaboration with WHO and other SRH service providers, is implementing the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for SRH in crisis situations through the provision of SHR equipment and supplies to medical facilities and by maintaining up-to-date information on SRH services. 
• A recent UNOSAT preliminary analysis, based on satellite imagery collected in June 2024, shows that 63 per cent of permanent crop fields in the Gaza Strip (94.2 out of 150 square kilometres) exhibited a significant decline in health and density, compared with the average over the previous seven years. This constitutes a nine-per-cent increase in the proportion of damaged cropland since the May 2024 analysis, and is attributed to razing, heavy vehicle activity, bombing, shelling, and other conflict-related dynamics. In North Gaza governorate, 75 per cent of cropland was assessed as damaged in June 2024, while the assessed levels of damage in the other governorates were 69 per cent in Gaza, 56 per cent in Deir al Balah, 58 per cent in Khan Younis, and 52 per cent in Rafah. The analysis included a damage assessment of orchards and other trees, field crops and vegetables, and found that in June 2024 there were particularly notable increases in the proportion of damaged cropland in Gaza and Deir al Balah governorates compared with the preceding month. For example, the level of crop damage in Gaza governorate increased from 61 per cent in May 2024 to 69 per cent in June 2024. 
• The cash liquidity crisis in Gaza has significantly diminished consumers’ spending power, jeopardized people’s access to essential goods, limited the capacity of businesses to procure goods and pay wages, and increased reliance on humanitarian aid, among others. To address some of these cash liquidity challenges, humanitarian actors have expanded the use of e-wallets, enabling aid recipients across Gaza to make digital transactions and purchases, according to the Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) Working Group. UNICEF, which covers 60 per cent of all humanitarian cash transfers in Gaza, has rolled out digital cash transfers, reaching more than 40,000 families since mid-May, noting that recipients can activate e-wallets through an application or through the support of service providers without the need for a smartphone. UNICEF highlighted that, while cash withdrawal remains an option, 40 per cent of post-distribution survey respondents used digital transfers to other e-wallets. Overall, between 7 October 2023 and 7 July 2024, the MPCA Working Group reports that about 190,000 households received at least one MPCA payment, of whom about 74 per cent have cashed out their assistance, but assistance continues to fall short of needs due to price volatility and the collapse of formal markets, especially in northern Gaza. 
• On 12 July, Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) published the findings of a recent study that examines the impact of war and halted education on children with and without disabilities. According to the study, more than 70 per cent of parents reported that displacement shelters were unsuitable for children and have contributed to the spread of infections and 90 per cent reported a lack of toilets that consider privacy issues, with related figures consistently higher among parents of children with disabilities (CWD). Moreover, 87 per cent of parents stated that their children are susceptible to physical abuse at displacement shelters and 65 per cent reported that their children do not receive suitable medical care. Slightly over half of parents (51 per cent) reported that they lack the ability to calm their children during bombings and other emergencies, with the related percentage lower among parents of CWD (43 per cent). The psychological impact on children is significant, with increased anxiety, stress, and behavioural issues reported. To mitigate the long-term impact of interrupted education and improve the overall well-being of children, especially CWD, the study recommends inter alia improving living conditions in shelters, supporting families with relief aid and training, implementing programmes to reduce violence within shelters, establishing e-learning services, and developing strategies to facilitate the safe return of children to school. 

Funding

• As of 15 July, Member States have disbursed about US$1.19 billion out of $3.42 billion (35 per cent) requested to meet the most critical needs of 2.3 million* people in Gaza and 800,000 people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between January and December 2024. On 10 July, the Humanitarian Coordinator Muhannad Hadi stated that “more funding is urgently needed – as is a safe, enabling environment inside Gaza. Increased funding now will enable the humanitarian community to scale up operations as soon as conditions permit. For funding analysis, please see the Flash Appeal Financial Tracking dashboard.  (*2.3 million reflects the projected population of the Gaza Strip upon issuance of the Flash Appeal in April 2024. As of July 2024, the UN estimates that about 2.1 million people remain in the Gaza Strip, and it will be using this updated number for programmatic purposes.) 
• The occupied Palestinian territory Humanitarian Fund (oPt HF) has 111 ongoing projects, for a total of $88 million, addressing urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (89 per cent) and the West Bank (11 per cent). Of the total, 63 projects are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 34 by national NGOs and 14 by UN agencies. Since 7 October, the oPt HF has mobilized over $112 million from Member States and private donors to support urgent humanitarian and life-saving programmes across the OPT. Of total funding, 89 per cent has been allocated to projects in Gaza. A summary of the oPt HF activities and challenges in June 2024 is available through this link and the 2023 Annual Report of the oPt HF can be accessed here. Private donations are collected directly through the oPt HF.

* Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.