UNRWA Situation Report #95 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

عربي

27 March 2024

All information from 24–25 March 2024, is valid as of 25 March 2024 at 22:30

Days 170-171 of Hostilities

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

• On 24 March, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, [1] that Israeli Authorities had informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza.  Since 22 March, five UNRWA food convoy requests to access the north have been denied by Israeli Authorities.
• On 25 March the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan. It called for increasing the flow of humanitarian aid, ensuring humanitarian access and the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza.
• Despite the adoption of the resolution, Israeli Security Forces (ISF) continued military operations across Gaza, particularly in Al Rimal area near Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, central Khan Younis, and the vicinity of Al Amal and Nasser hospitals also in Khan Younis. This has resulted in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure.  Airstrikes and bombardment continued tin Rafah where UNRWA estimates a total of 1.2 million people are now living, the vast majority in formal and informal shelters.
• UNICEF confirmed[2] that 13,750 children have now been killed, and cited reports of a near double digit number of children killed overnight, hours after the Security Council resolution was passed.
• According to the Gaza Health Cluster[3] hospitals in the north Gaza and Gaza face challenges due to recent military operations, and are in dire need of fuel, medical supplies and medical staff. Hospitals are operating with limited resources, facing electricity shortages and witnessing an increase in trauma cases and malnutrition. This highlights the urgent need for continued support and assistance from all clusters/sectors.
• Restoration of health services in Nasser hospital is ongoing.  On the 17 March WHO, UNRWA, UNMAS and UNOCHA conducted a mission to provide 10,000 litres of fuel to Nasser hospital, and conducted a rapid needs assessment of the hospital (WASH and health equipment).
• There has been no significant change in the volume of supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north.  The first 25 days of March saw an average of 155 aid trucks per day crossing.  The highest number this month was on 11 March, when 236 trucks entered Gaza via the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah land crossing. This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 per day. UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza with over 1.8 million people, or 85 per cent of the population, reached with flour since 7 October as one example.  In addition, nearly 600,000[4] people have received emergency food parcels and almost 3.5m patient consultations provided at health centres and health points. UNRWA continues to provide storage and distribution of other agencies’ food commodities.
• As of 25 March, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is 171.
• As of 25 March, up to 1.7 million* people (over 75 per cent of the population) ** have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, the majority multiple times.*** Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Following intense Israeli bombardments and fighting in Khan Younis and the Middle Area in recent weeks, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.

*This includes 1 million individuals residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters. As of 12 October, approximately 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded in UNRWA shelters in Northern Gaza and Gaza City governorates. UNRWA currently estimates that the population of Northern Gaza and Gaza City governorates is up to 250,000 people. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data in these areas has been severely restricted. The ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders issued by ISF, and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times.

**UNRWA reported on 15 January in Situation Report 64 that up to 1.9 million IDPs were either residing in 154 UNRWA shelters or near these shelters. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered.

*** There are instances where the same IDPs are registered in multiple shelters due to the fluid movement of populations; hereafter, estimates are used for these shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters, as soon as the security situation allows.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• Between 21 and 25 March, more than 150 ISF search and arrest operations were recorded across the West Bank, with at least 84 Palestinians detained during this period.  During one of the operations nine Palestinians including three from Gaza were detained on 25 March in Jalazone Camp (central West Bank).
• During the above period, six Palestinians were killed, including one who was killed during an ISF operation in Aqbat Jabr Camp and another killed during an ISF operation in Al Am’ari Camp, both on 21 March.
•  ISF has imposed additional access impediments in the southern West Bank, with concrete blocks and iron gates installed at the entrances of three villages on 25 March: Umm al Khair, Ma’in, and Masafer Yatta. These restrictions have increased since October, limiting Palestinian movement across the West Bank.
• The security situation in East Jerusalem remained tense, with checkpoints around the city tightened on 22 March ahead of Friday prayers. On the evening of 25 March, several Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and their commercial property in the Old City.

Displaced family living in a camp in Deir al-Balah, Central Gaza Strip, March 2024. © 2024 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra

Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

• According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza as of 25 March, at least 32,333 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. About 70 per cent of those killed are reported to be women and children. Another 74,694 Palestinians have been reportedly injured.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023– 21 March 2024, 434 Palestinians, including at least 106 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Humanitarian Access, Protection of Civilians

The Gaza Strip

No additional armed conflict incidents impacting UNRWA installations and the people inside them have been reported.

UNRWA continues to work to verify the details of incidents reportedly affecting its premises. Further information will be provided once it becomes available.

The total number of incidents remains the same since the last update:

• 350* incidents impacting UNRWA premises and the people inside them have been reported since the beginning of the war (some with multiple incidents impacting the same location), including at least 51 incidents of military use and/or interference at UNRWA premises. 161 different UNRWA installations have been impacted.
• UNRWA estimates that in total at least 408* IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least a further 1,406* injured since the start of the war. UNRWA is still verifying the number of casualties caused by incidents that impacted its installations, and notes that these figures do not include some reported casualties where the number of injuries could not be determined.

 *The numbers are subject to change once further verifications have been conducted.

UNRWA Response

The Gaza Strip

UNRWA Shelters 

• As of 25 March, nearly 1.7 million displaced people are now sheltering across emergency shelters (UNRWA and public shelters), informal sites or in the vicinity of UNRWA shelters and distribution sites and within host communities.

Health 

• As of 19 March, eight (out of 24) UNRWA health centres were operational. Of those, one is in the north, two are in the Middle Area, two are in Khan Younis and three are in Rafah. These health centres provide primary health care services, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, medication, vaccination, antenatal and postnatal health care and dressing for injured patients.
• On 13 March, UNRWA opened a temporary health centre to provide health services for the people in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.
• Nearly 700 healthcare staff continue to work in operational health centres. On 19 March, they provided close to 10,000 medical consultations.
• Another 8,005 medical consultations were conducted by 343 staff at shelters, including at the newly established medical points in al-Mawasi area to serve an influx of displaced persons from Khan Younis. The total registered population in al-Mawasi is currently 377,854.
• Between 7 October and 19 March, UNRWA provided over 3.3 million medical consultations across its health centres and shelters.
• As of 19 March, UNRWA provided mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services in the Middle and Khan Younis areas with teams of psychiatrists and supervisors to assist special cases referred from health centres and shelters.  UNRWA teams responded to 776 cases in health centres and in medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions and support for cases of gender-based violence.  UNRWA teams provided medical care for 419 post-natal and pregnant women at high risk.

Psychosocial support (PSS)

• UNRWA counselors continue to provide psychosocial support services, including psychosocial first aid, PSS consultations, group awareness sessions including sessions on managing psychological fatigue, in addition to implementing recreational activities.
• In the last week, UNRWA provided PSS services to 19,278 IDPs, including 12,096 children. Since the onset of the conflict, around 570,000 IDPs have received support, including more than 300,000 children. During the reporting period, UNRWA teams conducted a total of 2,310 sessions/activities, bringing the total to 147,893 sessions/activities since the start of the conflict.

Food Security

• As of 20 March, UNRWA continued to distribute flour outside of shelters in the southern governorates. To date, a total of 377,054 families (1,837,805 individuals) have been reached, of whom 206,234 have received two rounds of flour.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Due to the security situation in combination with internet connectivity we are unable to provide any additional updates since sitrep 67.