UNRWA Situation Report #124 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

Ongoing strikes by Israeli Security Forces (ISF) continue, with aerial, land and maritime bombardment across the Gaza Strip. These result in civilian casualties, displacement of people and the destruction of residential structures and public infrastructure.
The ISF issued evacuation order covering parts of the so-called “humanitarian zone” in the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis, leading to additional displacement of people, with reports that up to 150,000 people have been displaced so far. Evacuation orders continue to have significant impact on the ability of humanitarian actors to respond. For example, 20 food distribution and meal provision points in or near the evacuation area were unable to operate. The evacuation orders directly impact health and WASH services, with four health centres and medical points and 10 critical WASH facilities having to stop operations. These closures further compound the UN to provide adequate services which are critical to contain non-communicable and communicable diseases including polio and cholera.
The UNICEF Executive Director released a statement on the significant challenges UNICEF and humanitarian actors face operating in Gaza, describing another incident where a clearly marked UNICEF vehicle was hit by bullets while waiting at a designated holding point near the Wadi Gaza Israeli-controlled checkpoint. The Executive Director called for the flow of aid to increase and for unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.
According to ICRC, the capacity of the healthcare responders in Gaza continues to be stretched. ICRC reported in late June that due to mass casualty incidents, the occupancy of field hospitals peaked to 95 per cent due to the mass influx of injured persons.
As of 24 July, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 199.
According to the UN, up to 1.9 million people (or nine in ten people) across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced, including people who have been repeatedly displaced (some up to 10 times).
Several challenges stand in the way of collecting much needed humanitarian supplies from the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing point in southern Gaza. These include deteriorating law and order, war and insecurity, damaged infrastructure, fuel shortages and access restrictions.
The latest information on supplies entering Gaza can be found below:

Gaza Supplies and Dispatch Tracking | UNRWA

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem update is now once a week.

According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 22 July 2024, at least 563 Palestinians were killed. Separately, UNICEF1 reported that 143 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem since 7 October, an average of 1 child being killed every 2 days.
[1] Child casualties in the West Bank skyrocket in the past nine months – UNICEF

Families forced to flee Khan Younis following evacuation orders from the Israeli Authorities, 22 July 2024, southern Gaza Strip. © 2024 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra

Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as of 24 July, at least 39,145 Palestinians have been reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. Another 90,257 Palestinians have been reportedly injured.

Humanitarian Access, Protection of Civilians

The Gaza Strip

UNRWA is working to verify the details of incidents reportedly affecting UNRWA premises. Further information will be provided once it becomes available. 
Two incidents have been reported impacting UNRWA installations and internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering there. While verification of details and casualty figures is ongoing, initial reports indicate:
- [Late report] On 20 July 2024, bullets hit the fence and windows of the UNRWA Rafah Area Operations Room causing damage, the extent of which is not confirmed. The bullets were fired in the course of armed clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian armed groups in the Al Mawasi and Al Alam areas of Rafah. As a result of the armed clashes and ensuing insecurity, UNRWA staff working in the building evacuated the premises.
- On 23 July 2024, six IDPs were reportedly slightly injured in a school in Bureij camp, in the Middle Area, as a result of shrapnel from tanks shells. No damage to the school building was reported.
464* 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 74 incidents of military use and/or interference at UNRWA premises. 190 different UNRWA installations have been impacted by munitions or subjected to armed actor interference through these incidents.
UNRWA estimates that in total at least 563* IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least another 1,789* injured since the start of the war. UNRWA is verifying the number of casualties caused by incidents that impacted its installations. These figures do not include some reported casualties where the number of injuries could not be determined.

* Numbers continue to be subject to change once further verifications have been conducted.

UNRWA Response

The Gaza Strip

Health

As of 21 July, 88 medical points and ten (out of 262) UNRWA health centres were operational. These health centres provide primary health care, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, medications, vaccination, antenatal and postnatal health care and dressing for the injured.
On 21 July, almost 1,100 UNRWA health staff continued to work in operational health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 17,665 medical consultations.
As of 21 July, 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 668 cases. They responded to cases in health centres and at medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions and support for cases of gender-based violence. The teams provided medical care for 426 post-natal and pregnant women at high risk.
According to the Health Cluster, UNRWA remains one of the largest health actors operating in the Gaza Strip, contributing to over half of the people reached with health services. Between 7 October – 21 July, UNRWA provided over 4.8 million medical consultations in health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip. In addition to medical consultations, UNRWA (in partnership and support from other UN agencies including UNICEF and WHO) continues to provide vaccines, with over 130,000 children vaccinated since the start of 2024.
Due to challenges in bringing health supplies into the Gaza Strip as well as challenges in retrieving health supplies and transporting them to health facilities, stock levels remain very low, with up to 60 per cent of medicines either fully depleted or available in very low quantities.

[2] Pre-conflict UNRWA had 22 health centres, following the conflict an additional temporary health centres have been established.

Psychosocial support (PSS)

With the support of more than 500 counsellors, UNRWA continues to provide lifesaving psychosocial support (PSS) services in Gaza, including psychosocial first aid, individual and group counselling, fatigue management sessions, recreational activities, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and protection cash assistance, reaching children, youth and adults.
Since the onset of the conflict, around 700,000 IDPs, including over 500,000 children, have benefited from a total of 242,648 PSS sessions/activities. From 8-21 July 2024, counsellors addressed 3,004 individual consultations and provided 1,461 group awareness sessions for caregivers. Additionally, they conducted 1,538 recreational activities engaging 26,645 children. Counsellors also provided 388 EORE sessions to 6,348 adults and 591 sessions to 7,553 children.

Food Security

UNRWA continued to distribute flour in the southern governorates. To date, a total of 380,225 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached, of whom 367,768 families have received two rounds of flour and another 300,978 families have received three rounds.

As part of its emergency response, UNRWA distributes food parcels in the southern governorates. UNRWA food parcels include³ flour, rice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, hummus and fish, and are designed to cover approximately 90 per cent of daily calorific needs. To date, nearly 1.15 million people have been reached, of whom nearly 215,000 people have received two rounds of food parcels since the war started.

In addition to the distribution of UNRWA food parcels, the Agency distributed other food parcels on behalf of other UN organisations, reaching around 1.4 million people.

[3] Note the composition of the food parcel may change based on food item availability.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Due to the security situation, in combination with challenges to internet connectivity, we have been unable to provide any additional updates since Sitrep 67.

Quote from Majed, retired UNRWA school teacher now displaced in Nuseirat:

"Our students, who once studied in comfortable and conducive environments, are now living with severe psychological stress […]. I will continue working to educate our children in Gaza. They deserve better lives and futures.”