This report is produced by OCHA oPt in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 11 July (1500 hrs) to 12 July (1500 hrs). The next report will be issued on 13 July.
Highlights
- 70 per cent of the Palestinian fatalities since 7 July (89) have been civilians, of whom 30 per cent (27) are children, raising concerns about respect for international humanitarian law.
- Indiscriminate rocket firing by armed groups from Gaza continues to target main Israeli population centres, resulting in at least seven injuries.
- The scope of damage to civilian infrastructure in Gaza particularly electricity, water and sanitation facilities and equipment, is of increasing concern.
- US$ 60 million urgently needed to cover medical supplies out of stock and medical referrals out of Gaza.
- Thousands of traumatized children in Gaza are in need of psychosocial support.
Situation Overview
As the Gaza emergency enters its fifth day, the civilian population in the Gaza Strip continues to bear the brunt of casualties: at least 70 per cent of the Palestinian fatalities (89 of 126) are believed to be civilians, of whom 30 per cent (27 of 89) are children, while nearly two thirds of all injuries (500 of 910) have been children and women. These figures, along worrisome reports about the circumstances of some incidents, have raised concerns about the respect to the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in attack under International Humanitarian Law.
The intensity of indiscriminate rocket firing at Israeli localities declined during the past 24 hours with several hours of complete halt during the night and early morning of 11-12 July. While most rockets were intercepted or landed in open areas, two houses in Beersheba and Dimona were destroyed and at least three people were injured. Media reports indicate that since 7 July seven Israelis have been injured by rocket, while dozens of others sustained injuries while running to shelters.
The previously reported high level of intensity of Israeli bombardments across the Gaza Strip continued. In particular, the past 24 hours witnessed a remarkable increase in tank shelling from areas along Gaza's perimeter fence. The growing volume of Israeli troops deployed in the area in the past two days has fuelled existing fear about a potential land incursion, which were triggered by recorded warnings given to residents in peripheral areas to evacuate their houses and move to nearby urban areas on 10 July.
In one incident overnight between 11 and 12 July a building in Beit Lahia housing the Al-Mabrat Society, an institution for persons with severe disabilities, was directly hit by an air missile, killing two women with disabilities and injuring three residents of the home and one staff member. The deliberate targeting of residential properties, some of which are the homes of alleged members of armed groups, continued, with the total number of affected homes ranging from 88 to 112, according to various Palestinian human rights organizations. The number of homes destroyed or severely damaged by Israeli attacks since the start of the emergency has reached 750, bringing the estimated number of people displaced to 4,500.
Since the start of the emergency, the Palestinian Civil Defence has conducted 207 evacuations and search and rescue operations, however, it has warned today that their operations are being hampered by the shortage of vehicles, machinery and spare parts.
The scope of damage sustained by civilian infrastructure as a result of bombardments is also of increasing concern. Four lines supplying electricity to Gaza, including one from Egypt and three from Israel have been damaged in the past 48 hours, leaving 75 per cent of Gaza City without power. While most repairs are expected to be completed today, these incidents exacerbate the impact of the longstanding electricity deficit affecting Gaza in recent years, which have disrupted the delivery of basic services and undermined livelihoods and living conditions.
Airstrikes in the past 24 hours have damaged at least seven main water pipelines in Beit Hanoun, Khan Youths, and Gaza City, in addition to a water well, a water reservoir, a sewage lagoon and a storm collection pond. While some repairs have taken place, the affected staff face increasing risks: three water technicians from the Gaza Municipality and Al Bureij Camp were killed in two separate incidents on 11 July, while on duty. Since the start of the emergency WASH facilities in 18 different locations have sustained damage, affecting approximately 395,000 people.
The Erez passenger crossing and the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing are closed today, according to their normal operating schedule. Yesterday (11 July) seven trucks of medical supplies, as well as fuel for the Gaza Power Plant and cooking gas entered, and 22 foreign nationals, along with a number of medical cases were allowed to leave via Israel. Currently there are nearly 900 foreign nationals awaiting evacuation, the majority of whom are scheduled to leave tomorrow (13 July). The Rafah border crossing with Egypt is open today to allow for the evacuation of a limited number of wounded Palestinians.
Humanitarian needs and response
Protection
Needs
- Nearly 7,000 children whose homes were destroyed or damaged are believed to be at immediate need of psychosocial (PSS) support. PSS first-aid and training to caregivers/parents are a priority.
- Unexploded ordinance and explosive remnants of war present a major hazard to the population, particularly children, especially when they leave their places of shelter to search for their belongings among the rubble of their destroyed houses.
Response
- Protection Cluster members have been monitoring incidents to assess the legality of attacks under international law and are issuing press releases highlighting their findings and calling for the protection of civilians.
- The Protection Cluster is continuously working on a unified database of verified information of civilian fatalities.
- On 11 July, emergency PSS teams conducted 32 visits to injured children in two hospitals, as well as houses that were shelled, reaching 58 children. All children visited showed signs of extreme anxiety, fear, sense of insecurity, inability to sleep and despair. Since 7 July, PSS teams have reached 191 children.
Gaps and constraints
- Difficulties in verifying information, particularly regarding casualties, due to the security situation and restricted access.
- Ongoing hostilities continue to impede the movement of child protection staff and emergency psychosocial teams.
- Emergency psychosocial teams are working at half capacity with only part time counsellors, due to funding constraints.
Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFI)
Needs
- 750 displaced families (4,500 individuals), whose homes were totally destroyed or severely damaged, are in need of emergency NFI kits, including mattresses, blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets.
- In the medium term, they will need cash assistance to cover rental fees and furnishing of new accommodation.
- About 1,120 families (6,700 individuals), whose homes sustained significant damage, and 27,000 individuals, whose homes sustained minor damages (broken windows and doors), require basic NFIs, such as plastic sheets and tarpaulin.
Response
- Emergency shelter kits for 750 families are available and will be provided by NFI agencies when security situation allows.
- Cash assistance to cover rental fees and urgent expenses, worth US$ 3,750,000, is available for distribution.
- Plastic sheets and tarpaulin for 4,500 families are available for distribution.
Gaps and Constraints
- Movement restrictions caused by ongoing military operations are the main constraints for the delivery of assistance.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Needs
- Water supply to more than 31,000 people cut or disrupted following damage sustained by seven main water pipelines in Beit Hanoun, Gaza city, and Khan Youths.
- The Al Montar water reservoir in Gaza city was hit; while still functioning, this has raised serious concerns of contamination.
Response
- UNRWA started distributing 50,000 liters of fuel for critical WASH facilities on 11 July; fuel distribution is expected to fmish today, depending on the security situation.
- Beit Hanoun Municipality repaired water pipelines damaged on 9 July.
- Jabalia Municipality completed the temporary repair of water and sewage pipelines in five affected sites, restoring supply.
- The Municipality of Gaza managed, under the protective escort by the ICRC, to conduct basic repairs to the main water pipeline supplying the Beach Refugee Camp, a water well, and some pipelines damaged.
Gaps and constraints
- Lack of adequate protection to water and sanitation technicians: two staff from Al Bureij Camp and another one from Gaza municipality killed on 11 July while on duty.
- Assessment and repair of damages and movement of service providers increasingly impeded due to the security situation.
- Sewage pumping to the eastern lagoons in north Gaza stopped, as CMWU staff cannot reach the area; sewage is being released into a temporary lagoon.
Health and Nutrition
Needs
- Additional supplies are needed for all essential drugs and disposables, especially those needed for trauma treatment, including burns, as well as anesthesia drugs.
- The Ministry of Health and WHO issued an appeal to the international community for US$ 60 million to cover medical supplies and referral of patients to treatment out of Gaza.
Response
- A number of international NGOs (Welfare, UPA/USA and MAP/UK) donated medical supplies worth over US$ 800,000 to the MoH.
- Six truckloads of humanitarian assistance, donated by the Egyptian army to the MoH and PRCS, including 2,500 boxes of medical supplies, arrived today at the Egyptian side of Rafah crossing and are scheduled to go into Gaza soon.
- The ambulance station at the Rafah crossing was open today and four wounded and their companions crossed into Egypt.
Gaps & Constraints
- Lack of adequate protection of health facilities and personnel: two hospitals, three clinics, one treatment centre for the disabled, and four ambulances have sustained damage, while one doctor has been killed and 19 medical staff have been injured since the start of the emergency
- An Egyptian medical delegation was returned for unclear reasons while making its way to Gaza at the Rafah crossing.
Education
- Twenty-one (21) government schools, 15 UNRWA schools, and two Ministry of Education Directorate offices have sustained damage since the beginning of the emergency and require repairs.
- The Gaza agriculture training school remains unreachable, and the animals housed at school, and the animals housed at schools are in dire need of food and water.
Response
Nothing to report.
Gaps and Constraints
- Lack of access to affected schools to assess damage.
- Still no information available on schools located in the Access Restricted Area (ARA).
- 63 school located in close proximity to targeted sites, are at risk of damage.
General Coordination
The Access Coordination Unit (ACU) of the Humanitarian Country Team have been working closely with the local authorities in Gaza and the Israeli authorities at the Erez Crossing to coordinate the evacuation of foreign nationals and the access of water and telecommunications teams to the ARA along the fence for repairs. ACU staff have been deployed at Erez and additional staff to be deployed in Gaza to support upcoming humanitarian operations.
Funding
The 2014 Strategic Response Plan (SRP) for the oPt has received $164 million (42 per cent) out of a total request of $390 million Nearly 90 per cent of 1.9 million vulnerable people targeted in the SRP are in Gaza. Less that 30 per cent of the funds requested for projects targeting Gaza specifically have been mobilized. Projects targeting Gaza and the West Bank jointly arefully funded, however, such projects only represent $68.2 million of the SRP total request. Funding across clusters has been uneven however, no clusters are on track with funding at the mid-year point with the exception of Coordination. Food Security interventions, which represent the bulk of humanitarian assistance in Gaza, are only 30 per cent funded.
The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) is an additional mechanism available to fund interventions in Gaza. While the ERF balance currently stands at $4 million, $2 million worth of proposals are already being processed to meet previous underfunded, critical SRP projects which are also covering critical sectors that support responses during the emergency. The ERF is therefore in urgent need of replenishment to ensure the fund's ability to provide rapid and flexible support to affected civilian populations.
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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:
Katleen Maes, Head of the humanitarian Emergency Operations Center in Gaza, nnaes@un.org, +972 59 291 1047
Yehezkel Lein, Head of Analysis, Communications and Protection Unit, OCHA oPt, lein@un.org, +972 54 331 1809
For more information, please visit www.ochaopt.org
Endnotes
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.
2Data on injuries is provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/OchaGazaSitRpt_120714.pdf
Document Type: Situation Report, Update
Document Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Subject: Access and movement, Armed conflict, Casualties, Ceasefire, Children, Closures/Curfews/Blockades, Extrajudicial killings, Food, Gaza Strip, Health, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Humanitarian relief, Internally displaced persons, Living conditions, Poverty, Protection, Refugees and displaced persons, Security issues, Shelter, Water, Women
Publication Date: 12/07/2014