UNRWA Situation Report #126 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.
UNRWA launches back to learning activities. More than 600,000 children have been out of school since the beginning of the war. As of 1 August, UNRWA has begun to roll out its first phase response across up to 45 UNRWA schools/ shelters¹ by expanding ongoing psychosocial support activities, focusing on arts, music and sports, and raising awareness on the risks of explosive ordnance. UNRWA remains the largest provider of Education in Emergencies across the Gaza Strip.
UNDP’s solid waste management assessment indicates that the solid waste management system in Gaza has collapsed. Currently, there is no access to major landfills, and waste has accumulated in more than 140 temporary dumping sites causing serious health and environmental risks.
According to WHO, limited access to WASH facilities, compounded by overcrowding, continue to contribute to the increase in infectious diseases, including diarrhea and hepatitis A. The WASH Cluster estimates that two thirds (or 67 per cent) of water and sanitation facilities and infrastructure have been destroyed or damaged due to the war.
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).
UNRWA's Commissioner-General released an official statement following the tragic milestone, where over 200 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since 7 October 2023.
As of 1 August, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 203.
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 29 July 2024, at least 569 Palestinians were killed. Separately, UNICEF2 reported that 143 children were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October – an average of one child is killed every two days.

[1] Back to learning programme will gradually expand to 94 schools.

[2] Child casualties in the West Bank skyrocket in the past nine months – UNICEF

UNRWA's Director of Operations, Scott Anderson visited Khan Younis Preparatory Schools for Boys and Girls as part of UNRWA's back to learning activities for children in Gaza that were kicked off on 1 August. © 2024 UNRWA Photo

Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as of 29 July, at least 39,363 Palestinians have been reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. Another 90,923 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.

During the reporting period, three incidents, impacting UNRWA installations and internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering there, have been reported. While verification of details and casualty figures are ongoing, initial reports indicate impacts to two UNRWA facilities:

On 30 July 2024, shrapnel fell inside an UNRWA school in Gaza City. One IDP was injured. He received first aid inside the school and was transferred to a hospital.
On 30 July 2024, shrapnel fell inside Gaza Field Office in Gaza City. No injuries or damage were reported.
On 31 July 2024, bullets hit the fence and the outside wall of the Rafah Alternative Area Operations Office. The source of the shooting is unknown. No injuries or damage were 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 1,790* 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 27 July, 80 medical points and ten (out of 26³) 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 27 July, almost 1,100 UNRWA health staff continued to work in operational health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 21,757 medical consultations.

As of 27 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 693 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 608 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 – 28 July, UNRWA provided over 4.9 million medical consultations in health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip. In addition to medical consultations, UNRWA (in partnership with 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 and 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.

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

To date, a total of 380,225 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with flour, of whom 367,768 families have received two rounds of flour and another 300,978 families have received three rounds.

UNRWA continues to distribute food parcels in the southern governorates. These parcels include⁴ 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 distributes food parcels on behalf of other UN organisations, reaching around 1.4 million people.

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.

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

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

Quote from Scott Anderson, Director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza:

“Children in Gaza are traumatized and shocked. UNRWA launches the back to learning programme to help children cope and just be children. It will give them safe spaces for them to play, learn, grow, re-unite with old friends and make new friends”.