UNRWA Situation Report #6 on the Gaza Strip & the West Bank

Arabic/العربية

Monday, October 16, 2023

15 October 2023 as of 20:00 

• Heavy Israeli Forces’ bombardments of the Gaza Strip have continued, from the air, sea and land.
• Civilians continue to flee to the southern areas following the Israeli Authorities’ warning to evacuate northern areas.
• Advocacy continues at the highest levels for humanitarian access for pre-positioned critical supplies to cross into Gaza through Rafah, including food, water, medical supplies, fuel and non-food items.
• UNRWA continues to advocate for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians to be respected.
• According to Palestinian Ministry of Health and open sources, in nine days, 2,329 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza (an average of 259 per day, or 11 every hour). The number of people killed in Israel has reached 1,300 and at least 3,621 wounded.
• The above numbers are for background only. UNRWA has not been able to verify.
• 14 UNRWA staff members have been killed. These are confirmed reports, but the number is likely higher.
• 23 confirmed reports of UNRWA installations across the Gaza Strip have been impacted as a result of airstrikes but the total number is likely to be higher.
• Over one million people – almost half the total population of Gaza – have been displaced. Some 600,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are in the Middle Area, Khan Yunis and Rafah, of those, nearly 400,000 are in UNRWA facilities – much exceeding our capacity to assist in any meaningful way, including with space in our shelters, food, water or psychological support.
• Despite the Israeli Forces’ evacuation order, an unknown number of IDPs remain in UNRWA schools in Gaza city and the North. UNRWA is no longer able to assist or protect them. Over 160,000 IDPs were sheltering in 57 UNRWA premises, including—but not only—Designated Emergency Shelters in these areas at the time of the Israeli evacuation order. 
• The number of killed is increasing. There are not enough body-bags for the dead in Gaza.
• UNRWA in Gaza found some water in local shops, but rations are still down to one litre of water per person per day for the UNRWA teams in the Rafah logistics base (to cover drinking and all other needs).
• People across Gaza have severely limited access to clean drinking water. As a last resort, people are consuming brackish water from agricultural wells, triggering serious concerns over the spread of waterborne diseases.
• For the fifth consecutive day, Gaza has had no electricity, pushing vital services, including health, water and sanitation to the brink of collapse, and worsening food insecurity.
• UNRWA has sent an advance team to Egypt to prepare for the possible opening of a humanitarian corridor to bring humanitarian aid supplies into the Strip.
• As of 15 October, eight UNRWA health centres were operational across Gaza providing primary health-care services, with estimated supplies of less than one month.
• According to the health cluster, there are a total of 3,500 hospital beds in Gaza. Evacuation orders apply to 23 hospitals in Gaza and north Gaza, with capacity of 2,000 beds.

The West Bank (including East Jerusalem)

• As of Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported 54 people killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and more than 1,100 injured, since Saturday 7 October. This number is the highest recorded number of Palestinians killed in a single one week since 2017.  Most of those were killed on Friday, 13 October when Palestinian factions called for a day of protests.
• UNRWA continues to run its operations in the West Bank, including schools and health centres, and waste collection in refugee camps.
• UNRWA staff continue to face severe access and movement restrictions, due to closures, checkpoints and road blockages by the Israeli Forces.
• UNRWA staff are unable to travel to their place of work, unless it is in the immediate vicinity.

Other:  

• The UNRWA Commissioner-General gave a press conference in East Jerusalem. His remarks are available here.