This report is produced by OCHA oPt in collaboration with humanitarian partners. This report covers the period from 10 August (0800 hrs) to 11 August (0800 hrs). The next report will be issued on 12 August.

Highlights

  • A 72 hour-long ceasefire entered into force at midnight and is so far holding.
  • No further increase recorded in the number of displaced persons (IDPs): at least 386,000 people are still in emergency shelters or with host families.
  • New estimates on the scope of destruction: 16,700 housing units have been destroyed or severely damaged during hostilities, rendering over 100,000 people homeless.
  • An exceptional food distribution campaign targeting families who do not regularly receive food assistance (730,000 people) has been launched.
  • 25 schools have been destroyed or severely damaged since the start of the emergency; the start of the new school year will be delayed.
  • Increase in electricity supply from Israel may reduce outages to 12 hours a day, except in areas that sustained severe damage to the internal electricity grid.

Situation Overview

A new 72-hour ceasefire agreed by both sides with Egyptian mediation entered into force at midnight and is so far holding. Negotiations over a permanent ceasefire are about to resume today in Cairo. While Israeli airstrikes and shelling continued until midnight, resulting in additional civilian casualties and property destruction, there has been no further increase in the number of people seeking refuge at emergency shelters.

Hostilities and casualties

Since the last update, 12 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli air strikes, including three children and a woman, while another person died of injuries sustained previously. This brings the cumulative death toll among Palestinians to at least 1,960, according to preliminary data collected by the Protection Cluster from various sources, including 339 persons who could not be yet identified or their status established. Of the initially verified cases, 1,395 are believed to be civilians, including 458 children and 237 women. This cumulative figure on civilian fatalities was revised slightly downwards (1,402) following the receipt of new information that led to the reclassification of some cases from civilian to unknown. Some 226 have been identified as members of armed groups. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of 17:00 on 10 August, 9,986 Palestinians, including 3,009 children and 359 elderly, had been injured.

The following incidents were among the most serious recorded yesterday:

  • At around 13:20, an Israeli missile hit a staff member of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights – Anwar Al Za'aneen ­while he was reportedly talking with two water technicians from Beit Hanoun municipality, who were repairing a water network close to his house. All three were injured and Al Za'aneen died a few hours later in hospital.
  • At around 10:30, a 13-year old boy, Ahmad Al Masri, was hit and killed by an airstrike, reportedly on his way to a grocery store in Deir Al Balah.
  • At around 4:30 am, an Israeli airstrike directly hit the house of the Al Barka family in Barn Suhaila village, in Khan Younis, reportedly killing a 35-year old woman and seriously injuring her husband.

Rocket and mortar firing by Palestinian factions into Israel continued during the reporting period. No casualties were reported. Since 8 July, three civilians in Israel have been killed, including one foreign national, and dozens directly injured by rockets or shrapnel. The total of Israeli military fatalities stands at 64.

Damage to houses and schools

During the past 24 hours, four additional homes were directly hit and completely destroyed as a result of Israeli airstrikes. The cumulative number of housing units destroyed or damaged since the start of the emergency has been revised upwards significantly following a series of assessments carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works over the course of the previous ceasefire (5-7 August), in most affected areas that were previously inaccessible. According to the latest estimates, 8,800 housing units have been totally destroyed, requiring reconstruction, and 7,900 were severely damaged and are uninhabitable until major repairs can take place. This is over 160 per cent higher than the equivalent figure, approximately 6,400, recorded during the "Cast Lead" operation in 2008/9. Another 5,600 housing units have suffered major damage but are still inhabitable in part, while 33,500 have suffered minor damage. The estimated total cost for reconstruction and repair of these homes is approximately US$ 534 million

The previous ceasefire also allowed teams from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) to conduct initial assessments of educational facilities damaged during the hostilities. According to the findings a total of 230 schools have sustained some type of damage, including 25 schools entirely destroyed or severely damaged, which are not usable upon the start of the new school year. The new academic year will not start on 24 August 2014 as scheduled. Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) clearance, damage assessment, repair works and preparation for the new school year — such as class formation — will take longer than the two weeks left.

Displacement

The gradual increase recorded in previous days in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to emergency shelters halted over the past 24 hours. Consequently there has been almost no change compared to yesterday's figures: nearly 237,000 IDPS are hosted in 90 UNRWA schools and another 39,000 in 23 government and private schools and public facilities, as of yesterday afternoon. Nearly 110,000 IDPs residing with host families have been registered and reached by various shelter partners; the actual number of IDPs with host families is believed to be higher.

UNRWA's hygiene and water campaign at shelters was launched yesterday, involving the dissemination of information on water conservation, appropriate hygiene practices and treatment of scabies and lice. UNRWA has also continued to provide food, water and non food items to IDPs sheltered in its schools and, with other agencies, to the IDPs taking shelter in government schools. Health teams in each shelter, including a doctor, a nurse, and a health educator, are monitoring nine health issues of concern, and are providing health education to the displaced. However, access to medical care, including medication for chronic diseases, remains problematic

Exceptional food distribution

An exceptional food distribution campaign targeting families who do not regularly receive food assistance was launched today by UNRWA, the World Food Program (WFP) and the MoSA. The campaign aims at improving the coping capacity of the entire population, which is affected by the lack of income and the rise in food prices. Eligible families, which include those currently in shelters, will receive 10kgs of rice and 30kgs of wheat flour regardless of the family size. Larger families, however, will be served first, starting with those comprising 12 or more members.

Electricity

The Gaza Power Plant (GPP) remains inoperable following an Israeli airstrike on 29 July. The volume of electricity purchased now from Israel and transferred via nine feeder lines has increased (108 Megawatts), and together with the supply from Egypt  (28 Megawatts), they meet nearly 30 per cent of the estimated demand. As a result, Gaza's electricity company is preparing to implement a new distribution scheme, entailing cycles of six hours of supply followed by 12 hours of outage. However, the majority of households in the areas most affected by bombardments, including eastern Gaza City (Toufah, Shaa'f and Ash Shuja'iyeh), Beit Hanoun, Khuza'a and eastern of Rafah, are not likely to benefit from this due to the severe damage sustained to the internal distribution network.

No Gazan has escaped this conflict unscathed. The people of Gaza are frustrated that the international community was unable to protect them during the fighting and are looking to us yet again for help. We cannot fail them. All people deserve to live in peace, security and in dignity. Gazans have been deprived of this for too long. The blockade must be lifted. The cycle of violent conflict must end for good, so that Gazans and Israelis can live free from fear of and reality of war and conflict.

UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Kyung-Wha Kang, 6 August

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: must be launched in the coming days to inform interventions by humanitarian organizations. This is contingent on an extension of the ceasefire.

Additional fuel supply: 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.

Erez: Open for movement during normal working hours on 11 August (08:00-16:00).

Beit Hanoun (Arba-Arba): Operations reactivated.

Kerem Shalom: Open today as per its regular operating hours. The crossing closed yesterday at midday due to a security incident. A total of 34 truckloads of mostly food and medicine entered yesterday.

Rafah: Open from 09:00 to 15:00 on 11 August. On 10 August, 470 dual nationals and foreign residency card holders exited Gaza through Rafah, in addition to three injured individuals.

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.
  • 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 continue to monitor and investigate incidents to identify possible violations of international law, as well as consolidate information on civilian fatalities.
  • PRCS continue to provide PSS through UNWRA and governmental schools/shelters and has reached a total of 2,277 girls and 2,093 boys since 15 July; additionally they were able to reach 3,076 women and 2,076 men.
  • Since 8 July, the PCDCR (Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution) has provided initial PSS to 2,431 children across the Gaza Strip, including through home and hospital visits.
  • 320,000 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 1,751 callers since 13 July.
  • World Vision continues to provide PSS to children in hospitals and UNRWA shelters.
  • Since 8 July, UNRWA Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) has provided 10,890 PSS sessions to 91,050 parents and conducted recreational activities for 100,356 children. CMHP also coordinated and supervised the implementation of sessions by other partners covering 14,284 adults and 79,950 children.
  • CTCCM (Community Training Centre and Crisis Management) has been providing PSS support to other IDP sites, including in two government schools.
  • UNICEF through its partnership with AMAAN organization is conducting 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 cleared 17 out of 74 UNRWA installations for UXO.

Gaps and Constraints

  • Local organizations continue to 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 16,735 families (consisting of approximately 100,410 individuals) whose homes were totally destroyed or heavily damaged are in need of emergency NFI kits. In the medium term, they will also need cash assistance to cover rental fees and basic household items.
  • More than US$ 455 million will be required to cover reconstruction and repair of destroyed and severely damaged homes.
  • Emergency shelter repair interventions are needed for about 5,635 families (33,800 individuals), whose homes were damaged but are still inhabitable. Another 33,485 families (an estimated 200,900 individuals), whose homes sustained minor damage need basic NFI assistance such as nylon and plastic sheets.

Response

  • 237,000 people are being provided with shelter in 90 designated UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip and 39,000 individuals are sheltered in 23 government shelters (including seven supported by UNRWA). Nearly 110,000 IDPs residing with host families have been registered and reached by various shelter partners.
  • On 9 August, UNRWA delivered 31 truckloads of NFIs to shelters, including to community based rehabilitation centres and IDPs staying in Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.

Gaps and Constraints

  • Cash assistance of more than US$ 67 million is needed for 16,735 families to cover rental fees and urgent expenses.
  • Emergency shelter kits are needed for 10,412 displaced families.
  • Shelter NFIs such as plastic sheets and tarpaulin are needed for 33,485 families (approximately 200,900 individuals) whose homes sustained minor damage.
  • Displaced families with hosting families are considered to be particularly vulnerable and in need of NFIs and food items.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Needs

  • While WASH partners have been able to increase water supply to IDPs, the fluctuating number of IDPs and the increase since the resumption in hostilities may also increase water needs and hamper distribution.
  • An estimated 182,000 displaced people moving between shelters and home have restricted access to water.
  • Provision of fuel is needed to operate critical WASH facilities until repairs of the electricity grid will lead to the resumption of the former power supply level.
  • Damaged electricity feeder lines, water and waste water lines need urgent repairs.

Response

  • The Water Tankering Working Group, led by the Palestinian Water Authority, has drafted a Quality Standards for Drinking Water in Emergencies guide to help regulate water distribution and prices.
  • Gaza municipalities continued the removal of solid waste in Gaza city and distributed 5,000 litres of chlorine to ground water wells in the city, in addition to carrying out critical operations and maintenance work.
  • UNRWA has launched its hygiene and water campaign, which involves spreading awareness about water conservation, appropriate hygiene practices and treatment of scabies and lice.
  • Water service providers continue damage repairs and assessments. CMWU reported 11 major repairs conducted in the reporting period, in particular to damaged wells and water pipelines.
  • UNRWA continued to distribute potable and non-potable water to emergency shelters during the reporting period. On 9 August, 570 cubic metres of potable water, as well as 777 cubic metres of non-potable water, were delivered to UNRWA shelters.
  • UNRWA sanitation staff removed 391 tons of solid waste from all refugee camps of Gaza on 9 August and continued to carry out critical repairs of UNRWA installations, including plumbing and electricity.
  • UNRWA also continued to provide its logistics capacity to supply fuel to municipalities, water, and sanitation and health facilities through the WASH cluster (led by UNICEF).

Gaps

  • Movement and access restrictions remain the inhibiting factors for WASH partners' ability to carry out assessments and repairs, and hinder solid waste removal and management.
  • 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.
  • The damage sustained to the GPP (the Gaza Power Plant) on 29 July has had a devastating effect on all WASH facilities in Gaza.
  • 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

Updates to this section will be provided in tomorrow's report.

Food Security

Needs

  • IDPs are in need of food and other immediate assistance. Provision of complementary food items becomes more relevant due to the duration of the crisis. Nutritious food commodities rich in vitamins and minerals should be provided in a more consistent manner to IDPs, in particular for children under five, pregnant and lactating women, and elderly people.
  • Almost the entire population of Gaza has been affected by the conflict and 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.
  • Additional bread production capacity is required due to lack of electricity in households.
  • Immediate emergency funds to cover massively increasing food needs of IDPs are required.
  • Animal feed for 4,000 breeders/herders should be provided in order to avoid further loss of livestock and additional erosion of livelihood of herder's communities.
  • Humanitarian access to allow for provision of food and other emergency assistance to the civilian population should be maintained.

Response

  • UNRWA, WFP and Ministry of Social Affairs have started a one-time exceptional food distribution to affected families who are not receiving regular food assistance (approximately 730,000 individuals).
  • Food assistance to more than one million UNRWA and WFP core beneficiaries is ongoing. Two distribution points in Gaza city were operational as of today, aiming to reach 3,000 households.
  • 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, including food packages and hot meals. WFP is distributing bread from West Bank bakeries to meet the mounting food needs.
  • FSS partners, members and local institutions are delivering food vouchers and food packages to approximately 100,000 IDPs with host families and in informal shelters. WFP and Oxfam are distributing food emergency vouchers to a total of 8,000 families (approximately 48,000 individuals). The vouchers can also be used to purchase water and NFIs.

Gaps and Constraints

  • The fluctuating number of IDPs in shelters makes planning assistance difficult.
  • Delays at crossings complicate food delivery and result in waste of much needed food.
  • The ongoing electricity shortage has heavily impacted commercial activities, the milling capacity and the performance of bakeries. Electricity shortages also affect the ability to refrigerate some food items, such as dairy products, given the lack of refrigeration in houses.
  • Supply chains in Gaza are already stretched and therefore aid agencies are highly encouraged to bring in food aid items from West Bank/outside Gaza Strip.
  • 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.
  • Funds are required to cover the needs of 4,000 herders through provision of fodder.
  • 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) have been affected by shelling and are in need of repair, including 25 severely damaged and requiring reconstruction.
  • 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.

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, and at same time raise issues of prioritization of cargo.
  • Cargo bottlenecks are causing delays at Beituniya and Tarqumia crossings.
  • The unpredictable nature of cargo prioritization procedures at the Beituniya and Tarqumia crossings in the West Bank impedes operations.

General Coordination

The joint rapid needs assessment originally scheduled for 10 August will start on Wednesday following preparations in the past days, including liaison with relevant government counterparts, the allocation of staff to various teams, and the conduct of relevant trainings. Various technical authorities have committed their support. The assessment will take place in two phases: an overview at the governorate level, on the first day, followed by an assessment at the municipality and refugee camp level for a period of three to four days, as soon as the situation allows. 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.

On 10 August, the Humanitarian Coordinator joined the daily coordination of the OCHA-led Emergency Operations Centre in Gaza to prepare for the assessment and coordinate urgent responses.

A camp manager, part of the OCHA surge capacity, has been deployed and started revising and elaborating on the response plan and policy with regards to IDPs.

Funding

Mr. Shawqi Issa, Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of Agriculture of the State of Palestine along with the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. James W. Rawley launched the 2014 Gaza Crisis Appeal which outlines the planned humanitarian response of the HCT, including UNRWA to the current emergency. The appeal is intended to address urgent needs in Gaza and currently requests US$ 367 million to implement 86 projects in clusters/sectors including Education, Food Security, Health and Nutrition, Protection, Shelter and WASH as well as Coordination and Support Services. The clusters/sectors requesting the largest amount of funds are Food Security and Shelter which are requesting a total of US$ 293 million together. The appeal is based on the latest analysis of the required emergency assistance to meet the most critical needs of the affected population and will be revised as further information from the ground becomes available and needs assessments become possible. The Crisis Appeal supersedes the estimates presented in the Gaza Crisis Preliminary Needs and Requirements paper of 24 July. 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, ten project proposals were approved for a total of US$ 2.3 million Further funding for the ERF is still being sought.

UN humanitarian agencies, in cooperation with NGO partners are in the process of fmalizing an application to the CERF Rapid Response window 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:

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

Yehezkel Lein, Head of Analysis, Communications and Protection Unit, OCHA oPt, lein@un.org, +972 54 331 1809

For media enquiries, please contact:

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

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.


Document symbol: OchaGazaSitRpt_110814
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/OchaGazaSitRpt_110814.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, Closure of institutions, 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: 11/08/2014