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UNRWA Situation Report #83 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - All information from 25-26 February 2024, is valid as of 26 February 2024 at 22:30

UNRWA

28 Feb 2024

The Gaza Strip

The Humanitarian Country Team reported that humanitarian partners (including UNRWA) have been unable to reach northern Gaza, and increasingly parts of southern Gaza, safely. Aid convoys reportedly continue to come under fire and are denied access by the Israeli Authorities.

Furthermore, according to OCHA there have been continued reports of shooting by Israeli forces at Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City.

Ground operations and heavy fighting continue across the Gaza Strip, in particular in northern Gaza, Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.

Increased airstrikes in Rafah, including in residential areas without prior warnings have heightened fears that they will further hamper overstretched humanitarian operations. Nearly 1.5 million people are in Rafah, more than six times the population before 7 October.

Intense fighting in and around Khan Younis (southwest of Gaza) over the last six weeks is causing loss of life and damage to civilian infrastructure. This is forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee further south towards Rafah, which is severely overcrowded. At the same time, population movements out of Rafah and towards Deir Al Balah and Nuseirat refugee camps in the Middle Area have been reported, even though there are reports of further fighting and airstrikes in those areas.

Supply routes into the Gaza Strip have functioned inconsistently throughout the reporting period. Between 25 - 26 February, only 232 trucks entered the Gaza Strip via both Rafah and the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing points.

February continues to see very little aid coming in, with on average of nearly 99 trucks entering per day, whereas approximately 150 trucks of supplies were entering Gaza per day in January 2024. The number of trucks entering Gaza remains well below the target of 500 per day, with significant difficulties bringing supplies in through both Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah. UNRWA trucks have struggled to enter the Gaza Strip due to security constraints and temporary closures at both crossings. UNRWA has at times had to temporarily stop dispatching supplies due to security concerns. Security to manage the crossing has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the crossings recently.

In the period between 21 October 2023 and 20 February 2024, people have received the following:

a. 27,029 metric tons of flour, including 17,300 metric tons from UNRWA

b. Delivered to Gaza:

Biscuits and High Energy Biscuits: 2.7 million units
Protein based food (beans, chicken, beef, canned meat): 7,745,678 cans
Dairy items (Cheese): 6,449,674 units

c. Other food items: 1,976,056 US$ value

d. 23.5 million litres of water via water bottles and water tankers have been delivered to Gaza

e. 104,00 family hygiene kits were delivered to Gaza

f. Over 200,000 blankets were delivered to Gaza

j. 196,000 mattresses

h. 3.7 million diapers

On 10 February, Education Cluster released its preliminary findings regarding damages to schools since the beginning of the conflict. The report assessed that up to 44 per cent of UNRWA school buildings have been either directly hit or damaged.

As of 26 February, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is now 158.

As of 26 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 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 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 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 22 and 26 February, more than 150 ISF search operations were reported across the West Bank, averaging more than 30 per day. At least 124 Palestinians were detained during this period, including twelve children.

An operation in Jenin Camp, northern West Bank, commencing in the evening of 22 February involved a drone strike on a Palestinian-owned vehicle, killing two Palestinians including a child. On the evening of 26 February an operation commenced in El Far'a Camp, northern West Bank, with at least two Palestinian fatalities reported. Damage to camp infrastructure including roads, caused by ISF bulldozers, was also recorded.

On 22 February, live fire was exchanged between Palestinians and ISF at a checkpoint east of Jerusalem after two Palestinians purportedly opened fire near an Israeli settlement, resulting in one Israeli and three Palestinian fatalities. As of 26 February cement blocks were installed by ISF at the entrance of Bab Asbat (Lion's Gate), in Jerusalem Old City, to prevent vehicular access. Between 22 -26 February, other closures at checkpoints and using roadblocks were reported in Bizarriya, Wadi an Nar, Shu'fat Camp, Az Za'ayyem and Sinjil.