OCHA Flash Update #40
"On 15 Nov[], Israeli troops, including tanks, entered Shifa hospital compound in Gaza city & reportedly took control of several sections, searched them & interrogated people. Due [lack of comms] the impact of the military operation remains unclear.
Out of 24 hospitals...in the north, only one, Al Ahli in Gaza city, is presently operational & admitting patients. 18 hospitals have shut down & evacuated...including 3 – An Nasr, Ar Rantisi & Al Quds – over the past 3 days."
"Another five hospitals, including Shifa, are providing extremely limited services to patients who have already been admitted.These hospitals are not accessible, do not have electricity & supplies and are not admitting new patients.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that it has been unable to respond to hundreds of calls to assist & evacuate people wounded or trapped under the rubble. IDPs fleeing from the north are reporting the presence of dead bodies in the streets."
"As of 10 November, about 2,700 people, including some 1,500 children, remain missing & presumed to be trapped or dead under the rubble, according to the MoH in Gaza.
Hospitals & medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law (IHL) & all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection."
"On 15 November, some 23,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt, the first such delivery since 7 October. The Israeli authorities have restricted the use of this fuel only to use for UNRWA trucks distributing aid. The entry of fuel for all other purposes remains banned including for hospital generators & water & sanitation facilities.
Given UNRWA requires about 160,000 litres of fuel per day to runbasic humanitarian operations. It has had to halt key services."
"On 15 November, around midday, the As Salam Mill in Deir Al Balah was reportedly hit and destroyed.
This was the last functioning mill in Gaza, and its destruction means that locally produced flour will not be available in Gaza in the foreseeable future."
[NOTE: this was the last food group left in #Gaza. According to previous UN summaries, there were days of flour left, but zero days of rice, pulses, sugars, etc. IDF is clearly destroying civilian infrastructure to starve 2.3m Palestinians]
https://progressives.social/@chargrille/111419688685422578
"Also on 15 November, Gaza’s telecom companies announced the gradual cessation of all communication & internet services in the Strip, following the exhaustion of fuel reserves to operate generators.
Humanitarian agencies & first responders have warned that blackouts jeopardize the provision of life-saving assistance."
"On 15 November, around midday, the As Salam Mill in Deir Al Balah was reportedly hit and destroyed. This was the last functioning mill in Gaza, and its destruction means that locally produced flour will not be available in Gaza in the foreseeable future." [NOTE: this was the last food group left in #Gaza. According to previous UN summaries, there were days of flour left, but zero days of rice, pulses, sugars, etc. IDF is clearly destroying civilian infrastructure to starve 2.3m Palestinians]
"15 November, the Israeli military reportedly dropped leaflets in areas east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, ordering the residents of Al Qarara, Khuza’a, Bani Suheila & Abasan towns, to evacuate immediately to “known shelters.” [IDF had ordered people to travel to Southern Gaza, as a "safe zone" from North Gaza.]
In the north, 100,000s of people [can't get enough] water & food...The consumption of water from unsafe sources raises serious concerns about dehydration & waterborne diseases"
"Intense strikes by Israeli forces also continue in the south...severance of the north from the south, except for the “corridor"
Deadly airstrikes in past 24h hit:
aftnoon 14 Nov: Al Mohophin School, in Sheikh Radwan, Gaza city, killing 17 people
midday 14 Nov: a building in Al Qarara, east of Khan Yunis, killing 9 people
11/4, 20:30: residential bldg in As Saftawi area, north of Gaza city, killing 13 people, incl. 6 women
midday 15 Nov: As Salhi Towers area, in Nuseirat, killing 14 people
On 15 Nov, for the 5th consecutive day, following the collapse of services & communications at hospitals in the north," Gaza MoH didn't update casualties.
The reported fatality toll of Palestinians in Gaza as of 10 Nov at 14:00 (latest update provided) stood at 11,078, of whom 4,506 were said to be children & 3,027 women. Another 27,490 have reportedly been injured.
In the past 24h, 2 Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, total of 53 killed since the start of ground operations
"the Israeli military – which has called on residents in the north to evacuate to the south....have reportedly been arresting some IDPs fleeing through the “corridor.”
"eyewitness reports of some IDPs being beaten & stripped"
IDPs reported "the Israeli army had [a] checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two checkpoints, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are reportedly ordered to...undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan"
"Over the past 48 hours, IDPs staying outside the overcrowded shelters in the south have been affected by intermittent rainfall & flooding, which have damaged or destroyed tents & makeshift areas where they are seeking shelter. These conditions are subjecting these IDPs to an increasing risk of illness & waterborne disease
Over 1.5 million people in Gaza are estimated to be internally displaced, including about 813,000 IDPs who are staying in at least 154 UNRWA shelters."
"UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity.
Overcrowding is leading to the spread of disease, including acute respiratory illness & diarrhea, raising environmental & health concerns. The overcrowding is impacting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective & timely services."
"On the afternoon of 15 Nov, one truck of fuel entered Gaza, leaving an insufficient amount of time to refuel the trucks needed to distribute the humanitarian aid that had been delivered to warehouses in Rafah on 14 November. Given the warehouses were at capacity, the Agency was not able to receive additional humanitarian shipments.
Since 21 October, 1,139 trucks carrying mainly medicines, food and water have entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, representing a fraction of the needs"
"Since 11 Oct, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, & fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted.
The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators that run life-saving equipment
Prior to the Israeli military raid into the Shifa hospital compound...bombardments hit & damaged parts of it, including the specialized surgeries department, the coronary care division, & a warehouse
When #IDF troops invaded #Shifa, "patients, staff & IDPs were reportedly relocated w/in the compound.
On 14 Nov "200 people, incl medical staff & 25 patients were evacuated by [PRCS] from Al Quds hospital in Gaza city, to a hospital in Khan Younis, in the south. The trip... reportedly lasted 7 hours, was partially done on foot amid rain & muddy streets. The vicinities of the hospitals had been bombarded over the past week &, since 11 Nov, the hospital has been under an electricity blackout"
"For the third consecutive day, the main generator at #AlAmal hospital in #KhanYounis shut down due to lack of fuel.
The hospital has been running one small generator which is supplying electricity to the labour room & the lights in the reception area.
Over 8,000 IDPs are sheltering in this highly overcroweded facility.
The MoH in #Gaza stated that, on 15 November, 179 bodies held at #Shifa, which could not be evacuated or properly maintained, were buried in a #MassGrave inside the compound."
"The Israeli military has repeatedly alleged that Palestinian armed groups operate a military compound within and underneath the Shifa hospital. The hospital’s management and the Palestinian MoH have strongly denied these allegations & have called for an independent investigation.
UNRWA has continued to provide health care to IDPs at shelters through 124 medical teams deployed to the shelters. However, the fuel reserves of the health centres may have been depleted today."
"UNRWA operations will entirely depend on solar energy, which is designed only to cater for minimum operation. Functionality of the solar energy is not guaranteed as any malfunction or battery failure may cause complete stop of all operation.
Due to the absence of fuel, on 14 Nov, UNRWA’s solid waste removal services began shutting down, posing an environmental hazard, with about 400 tons of rubbish per day accumulating in overcrowded camps & IDP shelters.
"Due to lack of fuel, public sewage pumping stations, 60 water wells in the south, the a desalination plant in the Middle Area, the two main sewage pumps in the south, & the Rafah wastewater treatment plant have all ceased operations in the past few days.
The seawater desalination plant in #KhanYounis is operating at 5% [300 cu m/day;] w/the shutdown of municipal sanitation work, this is...a serious threat to public health, increasing the risk of water contamination and the outbreak of diseases
"main source of potable water in the south are 2 pipelines coming from Israel [at 1,100 cu m/h]. A number of private wells & desalination facilities...are expected to shut down over the coming two days due to the lack of fuel.
In the north, the water desalination plant & the Israeli pipeline are not functioning.
There has been no distribution of bottled water among IDPs [at] shelters for over a week...dehydration & waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources"
"Lack of food in the north is of increasing concern. Since 7 Nov, no bakeries have been active, due to the lack of fuel, water, & wheat flour, & structural damage.
Wheat flour is reportedly no longer available in the market. [UN is] unable to deliver assistance in the north, as access has been largely cut off"
"coping mechanisms, including skipping or reducing meals [&] consuming... raw onion & uncooked eggplant."
According to AlJazeera.
70% of all people in Gaza do not have access to clean water.
The fuel provided to unwra is stolen by Hamas 😡
Example report:
Erin Conroy
Totts
EyalL
anilmc
ex or current IDF unwelcome