UNRWA Situation Report #127 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.
Additional evacuation orders continued to be issued during the reporting period, with a new evacuation order on 5 August warning people living in parts of Khan Younis and northern Rafah to immediately move to Al Mawasi. According to the “Site Management Working Group”, this latest evacuation order affects 41 displacement sites, 19 water and sanitation facilities, 12 schools and two functional medical points.
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).
Humanitarian Clusters and Technical Working Groups provided an update on current operations and challenges inside Gaza. Several clusters reported ongoing access challenges preventing clusters from delivering humanitarian aid; critical sectors including WASH, shelter and health urgently require an increase in the volume of humanitarian supplies to maintain operations. For example, the WASH cluster notes that the depletion of chlorine reserves, consumed at double the rate before the war, requires the urgent importation of new chlorine supplies, which is used to purify water critical for safe drinking water.
UNOSAT published findings that estimate that 63 per cent of structures in the Gaza Strip are assessed as destroyed or damaged (severely, moderately or possibly). Its latest findings showed an increase in damage and destruction of buildings across Gaza compared to its analysis from May. For example, the governorates of North Gaza and Rafah have experienced the highest increase in damage, with around 17,300 new structures damaged. Following the Israeli military operation in Rafah city (that started on 6 May), the total number of buildings assessed as damaged now stands at 13,237 structures, 76 per cent of which (10,100) have been newly assessed as damaged.
According to WHO and the Health Cluster, following 300 days of war, the health system remains barely functional with 90 hospitals and primary health care centres not functioning. UNRWA remains a major actor in the health sector, providing health services across 10 primary health centres and up to 100 mobile medical points across the Gaza Strip.
As of 7 August, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since 7 October is 205.
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 5 August 2024, at least 587 Palestinians were killed. Separately, UNICEF[1] 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.
Between 29 July and 4 August there were at least 183 recorded ISF search and arrest operations across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. At least 140 Palestinians, including Palestine Refugees, were detained by the ISF during this period. During this period, there were 15 recorded Palestinians killed, of which nine were killed by ISF drone strikes.
Two ISF drone strikes took place on 3 August: one in A’ttil and one in Bal’a, near Tulkarm in the northern West Bank. The strikes hit Palestinian vehicles. Nine Palestinians were killed in the two strikes. On the same morning, the ISF launched a search operation in Tulkarm Camp and Tulkarm city, with bulldozers damaging infrastructure and property.
A Palestinian child was shot and killed by the ISF on 31 July for allegedly attempting to stab an ISF personnel at Beit E’inun junction, in the southern West Bank. A stabbing attack took place in Holon, south of Tel Aviv, on 4 August, with two Israelis reported killed by a Palestinian alleged assailant. The Palestinian was shot and killed, with another detained.
On 2 August, at least three Palestinians were reportedly detained by ISF in the vicinity of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, including Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, a prominent religious figures and previously the Mufti of Jerusalem. He was released later the same day. At least five Palestinians including Sheikh Sabri were issued with temporary banning orders by the ISF preventing them from entering the Al Aqsa compound.

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

Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, as of 7 August, at least 39,677 Palestinians have been reportedly killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. Another 91,645 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, two 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 1 August 2024, the roof of a classroom of an UNRWA school in Jabalia (north) collapsed due to an ISF operation in the area. The IDPs sheltering in the school were evacuated from the vicinity. No injuries were reported.
- On 2 August 2024, UNRWA received photos of extensive damage at its Rafah Logistics Base.

As of 31 July 2024, 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.

*Since the start of the war, latest figures are continuously under review as UNRWA gets access to locations that were previously inaccessible and as further verification occur. The total summary figures will be published once further verification has been conducted noting that these numbers are subject to change once verifications have been conducted.

UNRWA Response

The Gaza Strip

Health

As of 5 August, 86 medical points and 10 (out of 26[2]) 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 5 August, almost 1,160 UNRWA health staff continued to work in operational health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 17,663 medical consultations.
As of 5 August, 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 726 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 477 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.

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 450,000 children, have benefited from a total of 244,795 PSS sessions/activities. From 22 July – 5 August, counsellors addressed 906 individual consultations and provided 295 group awareness sessions for caregivers. Additionally, they conducted 619 recreational activities engaging 22,392 children. Counsellors also provided 109 EORE sessions to 1,576 adults and 219 sessions to 3,400 children.
Since the onset of the conflict, UNRWA’s social work team has provided services to 142,256 IDPs, including psychological first aid, psychosocial support (PSS), family and individual interventions, and case management. These efforts aim to address family issues and strengthen relationships. Furthermore, protection services were provided to 1,217 gender based violence (GBV) survivors and 1,111 children, including 496 unaccompanied minors, covering reunification, safe sheltering, medication, dignity kits and non-food items through referrals. The team also supported 17,137 persons with disabilities with PSS; 7,445 of these persons received assistive devices and rehabilitation services. Awareness sessions on GBV, child protection, disability and special needs, and managing social and psychological stressors were conducted for 104,438 IDPs.

Food Security

To date, a total of 380,225 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with flour, of them 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 include[3] 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.

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

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

Quote from Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General:

“The waste management system in Gaza has collapsed. Piles of trash are accumulating in the scorching summer heat. Sewage discharges on the streets while people queue for hours just to go to the toilets. All combined make a dangerous recipe for diseases to spread. Access to clean water and hygiene supplies are another priority in Gaza. Cease fire now to restore the waste and sewage management systems, bring in much needed hygiene supplies, and control the spread of diseases.”