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UNRWA

UNRWA Situation Report #94 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - All information from 21-23 March 2024, is valid as of 23 March 2024 at 22:30

UNRWA

25 Mar 2024

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

  • There is very little respite for Palestinians in Gaza, even during the holy month of Ramadan, as the conflict across the Gaza Strip continues unabated. The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) continue military operations across the Gaza Strip including in southern Gaza with airstrikes and bombardment also in Rafah where UNRWA estimates a total of 1.2 million people are now living, the vast majority in formal and informal shelters.
  • On 22 March, the charity "Christian Aid"[1] reported that food prices in Gaza have dramatically increased as the clock ticks fast towards famine. In northern Gaza basic commodities are 25 times more expensive than they were before the war, a 25kg bag of flour was on sale in northern Gaza for over US$ 400.
  • On 23 March, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General (SG) of the United Nations visited Al Arish and Rafah, Egypt. The SG[2] continued to call on the international community to support UNRWA, that he defined as the "backbone of the humanitarian aid inside Gaza."
  • On 21 March, WHO reported[3] that hospitals in Rafah were overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the needs. Out of 15 hospitals in the south of Gaza (including MOH, NGO, and field hospitals), only two field hospitals were fully functional; five were non-functional and two operating at minimal functionality. The same report stated that across Gaza only one in three of all hospitals in Gaza were partially functioning and that there had been up to 410 reports of attacks on health facilities. Malnutrition rates continue to increase, given extreme levels of food insecurity and disease outbreaks. WHO reports that a total of 27 children have died in northern Gaza due to complications linked to severe malnutrition.
  • On 18 March, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded that up to 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. The IPC also projected a worsening of malnutrition rates unless aid increases and reaches the most vulnerable and hard to reach populations.[4]
  • Following the announcement that famine is imminent there has been no significant change in the volume of supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north. The first 23 days of March saw an average of 157 aid trucks per day crossing into the Gaza Strip. 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. Security to manage the crossings has been severely impacted due to the killing of several Palestinian policemen in Israeli airstrikes near the crossings in early February.
  • Israeli authorities continue to reject urgent UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza. Since 21 March, UNRWA has submitted daily requests to the Israeli authorities, all of which have been denied with no reason given. A fourth request, submitted on 24 March, was also denied.
  • On 24 March, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, confirmed[5] that Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any UNRWA food convoys to northern Gaza.
  • UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza with over 1.8 million people, or 85 per cent of the population, reached with flour since 7 October. In addition to flour, nearly 600,000[6] people have received emergency food parcels. UNRWA continues to provide storage and distribution of other agencies' food commodities.
  • As of 23 March, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is 171, an increase of three.
  • As of 23 March, up to 1.7 million* people (over 75 per cent of the population) ** have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, the majority 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 1 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 Northern Gaza and Gaza City governorates. UNRWA currently estimates that the population of Northern Gaza and Gaza City governorates is up to 250,000 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 ISF, and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times.

**UNRWA reported on 15 January 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.

[1] Food prices skyrocket as Gaza on the brink of famine - occupied Palestinian territory | ReliefWeb

[2] Secretary-General's press encounter in Al Arish, Egypt - occupied Palestinian territory | ReliefWeb

[3] oPt Emergency Situation Update 25 (as of 12 March 2024 at 16:00) - occupied Palestinian territory | ReliefWeb

[4] IPC Report: GAZA STRIP: Famine is imminent as 1.1 million people, half of Gaza, experience catastrophic food insecurity

[5] Philippe Lazzarini on X: Gaza: as of today, @UNRWA, the main lifeline for #Palestine Refugees, is denied from providing lifesaving assistance to northern Gaza. Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food... https://t.co/lfp9xRQuh1" / X (twitter.com)

[6] UNRWA and other UN parcels distributed by UNRWA



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