UNRWA Situation Report #132 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

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

Recreational and psychosocial support activities organized by UNRWA in Nuseirat, middle area, Gaza Strip, August 2024. © 2024 UNRWA Photo

• As of 25 August, 80 medical points and 10 (out of 27[1]) UNRWA health centres were operational. These health centres provide primary health care, including outpatient services, non-communicable disease care, medications, vaccinations, antenatal and postnatal health care and dressings for the injured. The number of operational health facilities fluctuates constantly based on demand, access and security.
• On 25 August, almost 1,100 UNRWA health staff continued to work in health centres and medical points across the Gaza Strip, providing 14,953 medical consultations on that day. 
• On 25 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 543 cases in health centres and at medical points through individual consultations, awareness sessions and to address cases of gender-based violence (GBV).
• On 25 August, medical teams provided medical care for 394 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 since 7 October 2023. Between 7 October 2023 and 18 August 2024, UNRWA provided over 5.2 million medical consultations across the Gaza Strip. In addition, the Agency (in partnership with and support from other UN agencies, including UNICEF and WHO) continues to provide vaccines, with over 130,000 children vaccinated against different childhood diseases since the start of 2024 through mid-July.

Psychosocial support

• With the support of over 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.
• More than 600,000 children have been out of school since the beginning of the war.  On 1 August 2024, UNRWA began to roll out its first phase response across up to 45 UNRWA schools now turned shelters[2] 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. Prior to its first phase response across 45 UNRWA schools a specialized training was held from 29 to 31 July to help teachers in Gaza cope with stress and enhance their capacity to provide activities to children. The training involved 998 teachers from all areas and equipped them with self-care skills, psychosocial support techniques, and knowledge on preventing harm caused by the remnants of war. The training was conducted by counsellors and assistant counsellors and supervised by mental health specialists. 
• Since the onset of the conflict, around 700,000 IDPs, including over 450,000 children, have benefited from a total of 246,188 PSS sessions/activities. Between 6 and 18 August, a total of 14,816 IDPs, including 9,713 children benefited from these services. During the same period UNRWA counsellors provided 404 individual consultations and 168 group awareness sessions for caregivers. Additionally, UNRWA extended 453 recreational activities for children and 368 explosive ordinance risk education (EORE) sessions for adults and children.
• Since the onset of the conflict, UNRWA’s social work team has provided services to 157,437[3] IDPs, including psychological first aid, PSS, family and individual interventions, as well as case management. These efforts aim to address family issues and strengthen relationships. Furthermore, protection services were provided to 1,332 GBV survivors and 1,795 children, including 875 unaccompanied children, covering reunification, safe sheltering, medication, dignity kits and non-food items through referrals. The team also supported 17,996 persons with disabilities with PSS; 7,445 of these individuals 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 107,485 IDPs.

Food Security

• To date, a total of 380,225 families (nearly 1.9 million people) have been reached with two rounds of flour; 353,354 of those families have received three rounds.
• UNRWA continues to distribute food parcels in the southern governorates. These include[4] flour, rice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, hummus and fish, and are designed to cover approximately 90 per cent of daily calorific needs per quarter. 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 organizations, reaching around 1.4 million people.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) 

• Since October 2023, UNRWA has provided emergency WASH activities across the Gaza Strip. Main activities include the operation and continued maintenance of water wells, desalination systems and the direct provision of water through water trucking and the distribution of bottled water. In addition, UNRWA continues to distribute hygiene kits and maintain hygiene in UNRWA shelters and sites through the provision of cleaning supplies, community based solid waste management, and pest control.
• UNRWA continues to be one of the largest WASH actors in the Gaza Strip. Since the beginning of the war, the Agency has maintained and rehabilitated eight wells, reaching over 600,000 IDPs with access to water. Between June and August, UNRWA reached 50,000 IDPs with hygiene kits.
• Between 1-15 August, three water wells in Jabalia and Khan Younis were rehabilitated and made operational, and water was distributed across 101 emergency shelters, reaching nearly half a million people. In addition, UNRWA distributed chlorine tablets to over 110 shelters to prevent water contamination and improve water quality. Another 43,000 IDPs were reached with hygiene kits, including soap, in addition to 1,320 jerry cans and 432 buckets.  Over 200,000 IDPs benefited from cleaning campaigns in different areas. Many more hygiene supplies are needed.
• Throughout the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of tons of solid waste are piling up in streets, between tents in displaced tented areas, and next to the rubble in back alleys. The collapse of solid waste management since the war began is worsening the public health crisis. Between 1 and 22 August, a total of 7,000 tons of solid waste was collected by UNRWA and transferred to temporary dumping sites.

Your donations can help provide emergency humanitarian assistance.

Donate today