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UNRWA Situation Report #73 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (all information from 1-3 February 2024, is valid as of 3 February 2024 at 22:30)

UNRWA

5 Feb 2024

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

• Intense fighting in/around Khan Younis (southwest of Gaza) over the last 13 days is causing loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure, including UNRWA's largest shelter in the southern area, the Khan Younis Training Centre (KYTC). Continued fighting in Khan Younis is forcing Palestinians to flee further south towards Rafah, which is severely overcrowded.

• As of 3 February, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is now 152.

• On 30 January, according to the Ministry of Health, up to 100 bodies were returned by Israeli authorities to the Gaza Strip. Most of the bodies received had been buried in a mass grave in Rafah and were unidentifiable.

• As of 3 February, 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 days, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.

*This includes 1 million individuals residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters. As of October 12, approximately 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded in north Gaza and Gaza governorates. 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 Forces, and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times.

**UNRWA has reported in Situation Report 64 that up to 1.9 million IDPs are 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.

Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza as of 2 February, at least 27,131 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since 7 October. About 70 per cent of those killed are reported to be women and children. Another 66,287 Palestinians have been reportedly injured.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

According to OCHA, between 7 October 2023-26 January 2024, 372 Palestinians, including 94 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Last year (2023), was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the UN began recording casualties in 2005.