GAZA: The conflict in the Gaza Strip and West Bank continues to take a devastating toll on the region, with heavy Israeli Forces’ bombardments persisting. Israeli Air Forces maintain strikes across the area, even as directives for Gaza’s population to move south are issued.
Water scarcity remains a critical concern, threatening lives. The collapse of water and sanitation services, including the shutdown of Gaza’s last functional seawater desalination plant, raises alarming concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases. Limited water supply is a pressing issue, with just a three-hour opening of a water line in the south of the Gaza Strip benefiting only half of Khan Yunis’ population.
UNRWA estimates that Gaza requires 600,000 liters of fuel per day to operate water and desalination plants. Fuel reserves at hospitals across Gaza are expected to last only an additional 24 hours, posing a severe risk to thousands of patients.
The human toll is staggering, with the Palestinian Ministry of Health reporting 2,670 Palestinians killed and 9,600 injured in Gaza over nine days. In Israel, casualties have reached 1,300 killed and at least 4,121 injured. Tragically, 14 UNRWA staff members have lost their lives since October 7.
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UNRWA installations across Gaza, 24 confirmed reports in total, have been impacted by airstrikes and bombardment, though the actual number is likely higher. The crisis has led to an estimated 1 million people being displaced in the Gaza Strip, with UNRWA installations hosting nearly 400,000 of them, especially in the Middle Area, Khan Yunis, and Rafah.
Tensions are escalating at the UNRWA Rafah Logistics Base, which is currently accommodating almost 8,000 people. Despite Israeli Forces’ evacuation orders, internally displaced individuals remain in UNRWA schools in the north, where UNRWA can no longer provide assistance or protection.
UNRWA operates eight Primary Health Clinics in the middle and southern areas, but medicine supplies are running low and transportation challenges make resupply difficult.
Efforts are underway to advocate for critical humanitarian supplies to enter the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the West Bank faces significant access restrictions, escalating settler violence, and a concerning death toll of 58 Palestinians and 1,176 injured since October 7.
