• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UNRWA Situation Report #37 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information is valid as of 22 November 2023 at 22:30 (local time)

UNRWA

23 Nov 2023

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

• Over 1.7 million people (or nearly 80 per cent of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since 7 October.
• As of 22 November, more than one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are now sheltering in 156 UNRWA installations across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north.
• Nearly 896,000 IDPs are sheltering in 99 facilities in the Middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas. This is an increase of around 19,000 individuals over the past 24 hours.
• Nearly 160,000 IDPs were sheltering in 57 UNRWA schools in the north and Gaza areas as of 12 October 2023, before evacuation orders were issued by Israeli Authorities. UNRWA is not able to access these shelters to assist or protect IDPs and does not have information on their needs and conditions.
• The average number of IDPs per shelter has surpassed 9,000, indicating a significant level of overcrowding considering that the standard shelter capacity is up to 2,000 people. On average UNRWA shelters are hosting four and a half times more IDPs than their intended capacity.
• Notably, one of the schools in Maghazi, Middle Governorate, has reported an overcrowding rate reaching 18.95 times its capacity, with 37,900 IDPs accommodated in a facility intended for 2,000 individuals.
• 108 UNRWA colleagues have been killed since the beginning of the hostilities. This is the highest number of United Nations aid workers killed in a conflict in the history of the United Nations. At least 40 per cent of them have been killed south of Wadi Gaza.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

• On 22 November, a large-scale Israeli Security Forces' (ISF) operation was conducted in Tulkarem refugee camp, lasting around 10 hours. Six Palestinians were killed. The road networks in the camp sustained substantial damages, including locations directly adjacent to the UNRWA Health Centre. UNRWA operations were impacted, particularly education, as around 1,200 students from four UNRWA schools could not attend school.
• In the early morning of the same day, the ISF conducted a search and arrest operation in Dheisheh refugee camp, Bethlehem. ISF reportedly opened fire in clashes with Palestinians, and three Palestinians were reportedly injured with live ammunition. Twenty-six Palestinians, including a female, were detained. Student attendance at UNRWA schools in the camp was recorded at 55 per cent, due to the security situation.
• UNRWA schools in Jenin refugee camp resumed in person learning today, after some days in which remote education was used. About 35 per cent of students attended, and several recreational and psychosocial activities were organized.