UNRWA Situation Report #87 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• Intense Israeli bombardment from air, land and sea continued to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure.  Israeli airstrikes continue in heavily populated Rafah in southern Gaza.
• According to UN Women[1], that an estimated 9,000 women have been reported killed by Israeli forces in Gaza to date, not including those believed to be buried under the rubble. UN Women estimates that 37 mothers are killed every day and at the current rate, 63 women will continue to be killed on average every day. 
• The WASH cluster, including UNRWA and partners, conducted a rapid WASH assessment in February 2024. Preliminary observations show a deterioration of water and sanitation conditions, with 61 per cent of assessed sites having no showers, 93 per cent of sites with visible waste, and 20 per cent of sites with water points at risk of contamination. According to UNICEF[2],  up to 81 per cent of households lack access to safe and clean water.  Limited food, lack of access to humanitarian services and lack of safe drinking water continue to lead to increased numbers of malnourished children. According to Ministry of Health in Gaza, child malnutrition levels in northern Gaza are particularly extreme, with now at least 18 children reported to have died from malnutrition and dehydration in northern Gaza. UNFPA has cautioned that “malnutrition rates amount pregnant and breastfeeding women have spiked, posing significant health risks”.
• The first six days of March saw an increase in the number of trucks entering Gaza with an average of 155 trucks per day crossing. This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 per day, with challenges at both Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah. UNRWA trucks have struggled to enter the Gaza Strip due to the war and the inconsistent opening of both crossings. Security to manage the crossing has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the crossings in early February. 
• As of 6 March, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is now 162.
• As of 6 March, up to 1.7 million* people (over 75 per cent of the population) ** have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times.*** Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Following intense Israeli bombardments and fighting in Khan Younis and the Middle Area in recent weeks, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south. 

*This includes one million individuals residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters. As of 12 October, approximately 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded in UNRWA shelters in North Gaza and Gaza governorates. UNRWA currently estimates that the population of North Gaza and Gaza governorates to be up to 300,000 people. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data in these areas has been severely restricted. The ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders issued by Israeli Security Forces (ISF), and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times.

**UNRWA reported in Situation Report 64 that up to 1.9 million IDPs were either residing in 154 UNRWA shelters or near these shelters. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered.

*** There are instances where the same IDPs are registered in multiple shelters due to the fluid movement of populations; hereafter, estimates are used for these shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters, as soon as the security situation allows.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem 

• Between 5 and 6 March, at least 67 Israeli Security Forces (ISF) search and arrest operations were reported across the West Bank. More than 55 Palestinians were detained during this period. There were three Palestinians killed in these two days, including one child. 
• On the morning of 5 March, ISF opened fire during a search operation in Balata Camp, northern West Bank, with one Palestinian injured with live ammunition and two detained. A search operation in Dheisheh camp, southern West Bank, on the evening of 6 March resulted in armed clashes between ISF and camp residents, with seven Palestinians reportedly injured with live ammunition. 
• On 6 March, a Palestinian teenager reportedly stabbed and injured a settler near Neve Ya’akov settlement, in East Jerusalem. The child was detained by ISF, with the checkpoints of both Shu’fat and Qalandiya camps closed following the incident.

Displaced family among makeshift tents, Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, March 2024. © 2024 UNRWA Photo by Ashraf Amra