Hostilities in Gaza and Israel - OCHA situation report (18 August 2014)

This report is produced by OCHA oPt in collaboration with humanitarian partners. This report covers the period from 15 August (08:00 hrs) to 18 August (08:00 hrs). The next report will be issued on 19 August.

Highlights

The five-day temporary ceasefire which entered into effect at midnight 13 August expires at midnight tonight.
The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has risen again, with 237,659 now seeking refuge in 81 UNRWA schools designated as emergency shelters, and is expected to increase further as the ceasefire deadline approaches.
Alternative housing will be needed for the approximately 100,000 people whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.
An exceptional one-off food distribution, targeting families who do not regularly receive food assistance, is continuing with 300,000 out of a targeted 730,000 people now reached.
The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that losses to the farming sector, both direct and indirect, amount to US$ 450 million

Situation Overview

The ceasefire, extended on 13 August, has held with no major incidents recorded during the reporting period. The ceasefire is scheduled to expire at midnight tonight, amidst ongoing negotiations in Cairo between the parties to reach a permanent ceasefire or to agree on another temporary extension.

On 17 August, Israel partially lifted access restrictions to the sea to allow fishermen to move three nautical miles (NM) from the Gaza shore. This was the limit established between early 2009, during the Cast Lead military offensive, until the 21 November 2012 ceasefire understanding that followed the Pillar of Defense offensive, when access at sea was extended to six NM. Fishermen had been prohibited from fishing during the most recent hostilities.According to the Oslo Accords, the fishing areas allocated to Palestinian fishermen should extend to 20 NM off the Gaza coast.

The relative calm has allowed for additional needs assessments to take place. According to preliminary fmdings by the Palestinian Federation of Industries, 2,695 businesses had to stop operating due to hostilities, resulting in approximately 30,000 workers totally or partially losing their jobs. Some 350 businesses were damaged, with 126 destroyed and 234 partially

damaged. Two thirds of the damaged businesses were in Gaza city. The Ministry of Agriculture has also carried out an assessment of damages to the farming sector with losses, both direct and indirect, estimated at US$ 450 million

In the absence of a permanent agreement, the number of displaced has risen again, as families discover that their homes are uninhabitable or lack basic services, or they are returning because they wish to secure their places in shelters should hostilities resume again. At least 380,000 are seeking shelter in emergency shelters or with host families; an estimated 100,000 will be long-term displaced due to destruction/severe damage to homes. Despite ongoing repairs to utilities, the majority of the population continues to cope with severe shortages in water and power services; a permanent ceasefire is required to allow continued repairs to water and wastewater networks and facilities.

Hostilities and casualties

Since the last update, the Protection Cluster has recorded another fatality, a 64-year-old man whose body was recovered from Beit Hanoun. This brings the cumulative death toll among Palestinians since 7 July to at least 1,976, according to preliminary data collected by the Protection Cluster from various sources, including 329 persons who could not be yet identified or their status established. Of the initially verified cases, 1,417 are believed to be civilians, including 459 children and 239 women, and 230 members of armed groups. The UXO fatalities recorded on Wednesday have not yet been included in the cumulative figures. According to the World Health Organization, as of 17:00 on 12 August, 10,193 Palestinians, including 3,084 children, 1,970 women and 368 elderly, were injured.

Since 8 July, three civilians in Israel have been killed, including one foreign national, and dozens directly injured by rockets or shrapnel. The total number of Israeli military fatalities stands at 64.

Displacement

The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in emergency shelters continues to rise. As of yesterday afternoon, there were 237,659 hosted in 81 designated UNRWA schools, (up from 229,872 registered the previous day) and 28,229 in seven government shelters supported by UNRWA (up from 26,949 previously).

The number of IDPs residing in government schools not assisted by UNRWA is unknown. Nearly 115,000 IDPs residing with host families have been registered and reached by various shelter partners. An estimated 100,000 people will be long-term displaced due to destruction/severe damage to homes. On 16 August, the Government of Qatar announced that it would donate US$1,000 to every Palestinian family whose house was destroyed during recent hostilities.

Almost half of the displaced in UNRWA shelters are children below the age of 18. Children have been particularly impacted by hostilities and need support to make sense of the violence they have witnessed. UNRWA has deployed counselors to all its shelters since the start of the emergency to promote positive coping mechanisms and enhance the resilience of individuals, families and communities.

Key humanitarian priorities:

Humanitarian space: access for humanitarian workers to carry out life-saving activities should be maintained, among other reasons, to complete search and rescue operations in several areas, and repair critical water and electricity infrastructure. Removal of the threat of numerous UXO in built up areas is vital.

Joint needs assessments: the first phase initial rapid needs assessment, covering the governorate level, was launched on 13 August to inform responses by humanitarian organizations. The second phase, covering the municipal level, began today.

Additional fuel supply: fuel is needed to operate backup generators at essential facilities, including water, sanitation and health, for longer hours.

Strengthen response to IDPs: improving priority response to IDPs in non-UNRWA facilities and with host families; ensuring common standards of response to IDPs throughout the Gaza strip, including comprehensive and common registration.

Humanitarian needs and response

Protection

Needs

At least 373,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support (PSS). Children are showing symptoms of increasing distress, including bed wetting, clinging to parents and nightmares. It is likely that every child in the Gaza strip is affected by the crisis and will require some level of psychosocial support.
Child protection and PSS is urgently required to address issues of child abuse, exploitation and violence inside shelters.
Thousands of explosive remnants of war (ERW) are left in civilian areas affected by conflict, causing a major threat, especially to children, farmers, humanitarian workers and IDPs returning home. UN premises have also been contaminated by ERW.

Response

Protection Cluster members are monitoring and investigating incidents to identify possible violations of international law, as well as consolidating information on civilian fatalities.
PRCS continues to provide PSS through UNWRA and governmental schools/shelters and has reached 6,106 girls and 5,389 boys since 15 July; additionally they were able to reach 5,652 women and 3,642 men.
Since 8 July, the PCDCR (Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution) has provided initial PSS to 3,337 children across the Gaza Strip, including through home and hospital visits.
340,000 child protection and PSS text messages have been sent to Jawal mobile phone subscribers in Gaza since 20 July.
The Sawa Child Protection Helpline has provided counselling to a total of 2,181 callers since 13 July.
Since 8 July, UNRWA Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) has conducted 14,093 PSS sessions for 118,627 parents and recreational activities for 131,626 children. CMHP also coordinated and supervised the implementation of sessions by other partners covering 19,999 adult IDPs and 99,895 children.
CTCCM (Community Training Centre and Crisis Management) has been providing PSS support to other IDP sites, including in two government schools, the Orthodox Church in Gaza and al Amal Institute, reaching 161 children and 20 women.
UNICEF, in partnership with Ma'an Development Center, is providing daily PSS and extracurricular activities to 2,000 children in six shelters in Gaza city managed by the MoSA.
ERW awareness campaign for families in UNRWA shelters continues. Radio and TV ERW awareness messages are broadcasted several times a day to spread awareness about the danger posed by unexploded ordnance.
UNMAS has carried out 31 risk assessments for UNRWA and UNSCO of which 27 UNRWA installations have been cleared, and provided risk education for 26,000 people. Furthermore, 123 humanitarian workers have received risk education training.

Gaps and Constraints

Local organizations still face fuel and electricity shortages.
Sawa Child Protection Help Line needs additional trained counsellors.
The number of social workers and PSS counsellors at hospitals is insufficient to meet current needs.
Displaced children and their families hosted with community members remain largely unreached by child protection interventions.

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)

Needs

It is estimated that 16,792 families (consisting of approximately 100,750 individuals) whose homes were totally destroyed or heavily damaged are in need of emergency NFI kits. In the medium term, they will require cash assistance to cover rental fees and basic household items.
Emergency shelter repair items are needed for about 5,635 families (33,800 individuals), whose homes were damaged but are still inhabitable. Another 33,625 families (an estimated 201,750 individuals), whose homes sustained minor damage need basic NFI assistance such as nylon and plastic sheets.
Response
237,659 people are being provided with shelter in 81 designated UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip and 28,229 individuals are sheltered in seven government shelters supported by UNRWA. Nearly 115,000 IDPs residing with host families have been registered and reached by various shelter partners.
Shelter partners have provided household NFIs to 52,889 families and hygiene NFIs to 65,566 families since the beginning of the emergency.

Gaps and Constraints

Cash assistance of more than US$ 68 million is needed for 16,792 families to cover rental fees and urgent expenses.

Emergency shelter kits are needed for 6,504 displaced families.
21,836 family hygiene kits are needed for IDPs with host families and in UNRWA and government shelters.
Shelter NFIs such as plastic sheets and tarpaulin are needed for 33,625 families (approximately 200,900 individuals) whose homes sustained minor damage.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Needs

IDPs in shelters and with host families require drinking water and water for domestic use.
Provision of fuel (500,000 litres per month) is needed to operate critical WASH facilities until repairs to the electricity grid leads to the resumption of the former power supply level. Emergency standby generators and municipal vehicles utilized for water distribution also need fuel.
Damaged electricity distribution systems, water and waste water lines need urgent repairs.

Response

Delivery of fuel through UNRWA is ongoing.
Municipalities are distributing domestic and drinking water to IDPs and areas with no access to water. The Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) has also distributed 11,000 litres of chlorine to several groundwater wells and sprayed a number of sites with pesticides as a vector control measure.
Potable water has been delivered to at least 274,824 people through potable water trucking, water vouchers, and bottled water. UNRWA and Oxfam have supplied 221,714 IDPs in schools, UNICEF with partners WFP and PHG have supported 43,000 individuals with water vouchers and water trucking, and PARC has tankered water to 10,110 affected families ICRC, Anera, CHF, and UNICEF with partner Ma'an Development Center have ongoing water trucking programs with numbers of beneficiaries reached to be confirmed.
Domestic Water tankering to different areas in Gaza by UNICEF through Ma'an Development Center (1272 m³ covering 8940 people in Gaza City), UNRWA and PARC.
A total of eight public distribution points (bladders) each 5 m³ installed in Khan Younis and Gaza City by UNICEF and Mercy Corps. An additional 660 water tanks each 1.5 m³ have been installed as filling points or distributed to effected families by several organizations.
At least 129,710 people have been provided with water storage containers for household use.
WASH Cluster and partners are working closely with local representatives to address high tensions around distribution.
10,000 families have been reached by UNICEF through the WFP e-voucher system receiving the hygiene items.
Over 6,300 jerry cans have been distributed by a number of partners including UNICEF, GVC and PARC.
CMWU continues to provide for all possible repairs and refurbishment of repairable facilities such as water and wastewater networks, water wells and desalination units.
Gaza municipalities continued the removal of solid waste in Gaza city, in addition to carrying out critical operations and maintenance work to seven water lines, seven groundwater wells and several sewage lines.
UNRWA sanitation staff removed 366 tons of solid waste from all refugee camps on 12 August and continued to carry out critical repairs of UNRWA installations.

Gaps

Movement and access restrictions remain restricting factors.
The constant movement of IDPs between their homes and designated shelters during ceasefires poses challenges in prioritizing responses undertaken by water and sanitation service providers.
Decreasing capacity of the local market to meet the need for polythene tanks.
Lack of energy to operate facilities and limitations on access hinder the critical operations of WASH facilities, including operations of water service providers as well as maintenance and repairs, with potential devastating consequences for the entire population of the Gaza Strip.

Health and Nutrition

Needs

Hospitals continue to require steady access to adequate amounts of fuel, pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, including spare parts for medical equipment.
Essential medicines and medical disposables are needed.
The time-consuming process related to the evacuation of priority patients out of Gaza, including issuing travel and medical documents and passports for foreign referrals, especially for patients whose homes and possessions were destroyed, needs to be addressed.
Preventive health measures are needed for IDPs in shelters to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases.
Hospitals continue to require regular access to adequate amounts of fuel, medicines and medical supplies, as well as spare parts for medical equipment to maintain functionality.
Continuity of care and rehabilitation of patients, especially of amputees, at the community level needs active follow-up.

Response

WHO has provided medicines and medical supplies worth US$ 1.7 to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) to fill critical shortages in hospitals.
The extended ceasefire has enabled the MoH to increase the referral of casualty patients to outside hospitals, especially to Turkey and East Jerusalem hospitals, which has reduced bed occupancy in surgical wards in Gaza from more than 100 per cent to 80 per cent, helping to improve quality care.
A total of 93 specialist physicians and nurses have entered Gaza on short missions since 7 July from the (MoH) in the West Bank (45), Palestinian and Arab physicians' groups (25) and international humanitarian agencies (23).
UNRWA and MoH are sharing data with WHO and working to expand and improve monitoring for main communicable diseases among IDPs in shelters.
Oxfam, the Palestinian Water, UNRWA and WHO are in the process of drafting guidelines for water vendors in order to maintain the quality of water delivered to shelters and communities.
The MoH in Gaza has received more than US$ 3 million in donations of drugs and disposables for distribution which is currently being processed. WHO is assisting the MoH in speeding up the process.
UNRWA began distributing maternity packages to new mothers who have given birth during the hostilities and who are registered as IDPs. A total of 344 babies have started their lives as IDPs in UNRWA schools.

Food Security

Needs

IDPs are in need of food and other immediate assistance.
The entire population of Gaza has been affected by the conflict and almost all need food and other assistance to recover.
An estimated 100,000 people whose homes were destroyed or damaged beyond repair will need food and other assistance for a longer term.
Families relying on agricultural-related livelihoods need food, other immediate assistance and support in re-establishing their sources of income.
Approximately 55,000 livestock heads are in need of animal feed and water tanks in order to avoid further loss of livestock and additional erosion of productive assets.
Humanitarian access to allow for provision of food and other emergency assistance to the civilian population should be maintained.

Response

The regular food assistance to more than one million UNRWA and WFP core beneficiaries is ongoing. The ceasefire is allowing for safer and more efficient delivery of food parcels.
In addition, 300,000 out of around 730,000 people have been reached by the one-time exceptional food distribution to affected families who are not receiving regular food assistance implemented by UNRWA, WFP and the Ministry of Social Affairs.
WFP, in cooperation with UNRWA, is providing ready-to-eat emergency food rations to IDPs in UNRWA and government shelters on a daily basis.
WFP continues to provide food assistance to IDPs hosted with relatives and to patients and hospital staff.
Food Security Sector (FSS) partners are delivering complementary food distributions to IDPs at UNRWA and government shelters.

Gaps and Constraints

Lack of a proper mechanism to identify the most vulnerable groups relying on agricultural-related livelihoods and being heavily affected by the conflict.
Delays at crossings complicate food delivery.
Electricity shortages limit the storage capacity of fresh food for both shops and households.
The price of some food items has gone up, including fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs, due to the large damage sustained to farms and agricultural lands, among other reasons.
Immediate emergency funds to cover massively increasing food needs of IDPs and returnees are required.

Education

Needs

230 schools (140 governmental and 90 UNRWA schools) affected by shelling are in need of repair, including 25 severely damaged requiring reconstruction. The Ministry of Education also reported that another two higher education facilities were affected by shelling, bringing the total number of facilities in need of repair to two universities and four colleges.
UNRWA and government schools will not be ready for the new school year which was scheduled to start on 24 August.
A lasting ceasefire to undertake unexploded ordnance clearance, damage assessments and repair work to damaged educational facilities, as well as preparation for the new school year, is urgently needed.
Response
The Education Cluster is coordinating with MoEHE and UNRWA regarding the new school year, and is engaged in ongoing assessments.
The Education Cluster is also working with service providers to coordinate a special package for returning school students, with a focus on psychosocial support and recreational activities.

Gaps & Constraints

Inadequate funding for cluster activities.
A large number of schools are used as IDP shelters or collective centres, with no clear plan in place for longer term shelters for those whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged.

Logistics

Needs

Safe and secure transportation inside the Gaza Strip is urgently required to ensure the delivery of much needed relief supplies and to guarantee transporters are able to continue working.
There is an urgent need to ensure coordination with relevant authorities and organisations operating in the Gaza Strip and coordinate proper humanitarian space to ensure safe passage, delivery and distribution of aid cargo.

Response

Storekeepers and logistics assistants have been hired locally to support the staging areas secured by the Logistics Cluster in the West Bank and the common warehouses in the Gaza Strip.
The Logistics Cluster is supporting the Palestinian authorities in facilitating the transport of more than 750 pallets of water and food for distribution to various locations within the Gaza Strip.
The Logistics Cluster has made five staging areas in Jerusalem, Hebron, Ashqelon, Ramallah and Nablus available for the humanitarian community.
On the 14 August, the Logistics Cluster facilitated the transportation of 326 pallets of food, shelter and WASH supplies into the Gaza Strip on behalf of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (FRCS) and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA).
Since activation, the Logistics Cluster has supported 24 humanitarian organisations including OXFAM and CHF International, and facilitated the transportation of over 1,750 pallets of humanitarian relief.
On 17 August, the Logistics Cluster facilitated the transportation more than 160 pallets of privately donated items for distribution within the Gaza Strip. Items include water, food, blankets, diapers and clothes.

Gaps and Constraints

Safe and secure transportation inside the Gaza Strip remains an ongoing constraint limiting the ability of the delivery of urgently required relief supplies.
The increasing needs and deteriorating situation is forcing the humanitarian community to augment its pipelines, increasing pressure on Kerem Shalom, the only goods crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Cargo bottlenecks are causing delays at Beituniya and Tarqumia crossings.

General Coordination

The first phase of the joint rapid needs assessment, led by the EOC started on 13 August, and data analysis in ongoing. The second phase of the joint rapid needs assessment started on 18 August, covering 19 municipalities (some 80 assessment staff were involved and at least 250 key informants interviewed, including youth, persons with disabilities and elderly). If the situation allows, the remaining six municipalities will be covered on 19 August and the eight refugee camps on 20 August. Data collected will be entered on tablets and linked directly to a database. The information will be subsequently validated and analysed, before it is disseminated. Protection and gender concerns have been integrated throughout the process as have questions on the information needs of affected communities.

Since its activation, the Logistics Cluster has facilitated the transportation of over 1,200 pallets of humanitarian relief supplies via 47 trucks from the West Bank on behalf of 17 humanitarian organisations for distribution within the Gaza Strip.

Funding

Based on available information, funding to the Gaza Crisis Appeal ((requirements of US $367 million) stands at US $120 million, of this US $96 million is for UNRWA, US $16.5 million for WFP and US $7 3 million (reported) for others which are mainly for Food, leaving large gaps to respond in other critical sectors such as Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Education and Shelter and Non Food Items. Many key UN and NGOs partners identified for the Gaza response have received little to no funding to date for their projects in the Crisis Appeal. The Crisis Appeal is available online at www.ochaopt.org.

The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) is an additional mechanism available to fund interventions in Gaza through rapid and flexible support to affected civilian populations. The ERF has begun processing project applications in regards to the Gaza emergency. To date, eleven project proposals were approved for a total of US$ 2.6 million Further funding for the ERF is still being sought.

The CERF Secretariat is also currently reviewing a package of proposals from UN humanitarian agencies, in cooperation with NGO partners, covering urgent needs in food assistance, psychosocial support, WASH, rubble removal and critical drugs.

Background to the crisis

On 7 July 2014, the Israeli army launched a large military operation in the Gaza Strip, codenamed "Protective Edge", with the stated objective of stopping Palestinian rocket firing at southern Israel and destroying the military infrastructure of Hamas and other armed groups.

This development marked the collapse of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire understanding reached between Israel and Hamas in November 2012, which has been gradually undermined since December 2013. The latest escalation round started in early June, characterized by an intensification of Israeli airstrikes and rockets launched from Gaza at southern Israel. Tensions further increased following the abduction and killing of three Israeli youths in the southern West Bank, on 12 June, which the Israeli government attributed to Hamas. Overall, in the period leading up to the start of the current operation a total of 15 Palestinians, including one civilian, were killed, and another 58 others, mostly civilians, injured, as a result of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip; seven Israelis, five of whom were civilians, were injured due to rocket fire.

The current crisis comes against a backdrop of heightened vulnerability and instability. Unemployment increased dramatically since mid-2013, following a halt of the illegal tunnel trade, exacerbating the impact of the Israeli blockade in place since June 2007. Additionally, former de facto government employees, including the security forces, have not been paid salaries regularly since August 2013 and no salaries at all since April 2014. Delivery of basic services has been also undermined due to an ongoing energy crisis, involving power outages of 12 hours per day.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Katleen Maes, Head of the humanitarian Emergency Operations Center in Gaza, maes@un.org, +972 592 911 047

Mr. Ray Dolphin, Analysis, Communications and Protection Unit, OCHA oPt, dolphin@un.org, +972 54 331 1827

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms.Hayat Abu-Saleh, Communications and Information Analyst, OCHA oPt, abusaleh@un.org, +972 (0) 54 3311816 For more information, please visit www.ochaopt.org

Endnote

¹Data on fatalities and destruction of property is consolidated by the Protection and Shelter clusters based on preliminary information, and is subject to change based on further verifications.

Hostilities in Gaza and Israel – OCHA situation report (18 August 2014)

Subscribe to our mailing list

Hostilities in Gaza and Israel – OCHA situation report (18 August 2014)

Share This Page, Choose Your Platform!

Subscribe to our mailing list