• 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 #107 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem - All information from 6 - 12 May 2024 is valid as of 12 May 2024 at 22:30 (local time)

UNRWA

14 May 2024

Key Points

The Gaza Strip

• Reports persist of ongoing strikes by Israeli Forces, encompassing aerial, land and maritime bombardment across the Gaza Strip. These attacks exacerbate civilian casualties, displacement and the decimation of residential structures and essential civilian infrastructure. The Israeli ground offensive continues to expand, particularly in the southern regions of Gaza city and eastern Rafah, notably around the Kerem Shalom and Rafah Crossings.
• On 8 May, OCHA, UNRWA, UN Mine Action Service, and the UN Department of Safety and Security carried out a security assessment at both crossings, which remain heavily militarized. Due to current Israeli military operations and insecurity, critical land routes of Kerem Shalom and Rafah were closed from 6 - 10 May 2024.
• On 10 May, the Health Cluster issued a warning: unless fuel is promptly permitted into Gaza, the operational lifespans of five hospitals and five field hospitals across the Strip would significantly reduce in less than 48 hours. Likewise, at risk are 28 ambulances, 17 primary health care centres, 23 medical facilities in Al Mawasi, and ten mobile clinics providing essential immunization, trauma care and nutrition services. The absence of fuel to power generators poses a critical threat, particularly endangering patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU), including newborns in neonatal ICUs, trauma patients requiring urgent surgeries and pregnant women in need of caesarian sections (C-sections). Urgent action to increase fuel supply into Gaza is imperative to keep health services going, with life-saving services hanging in the balance. As of 11 May, only 120,000 litres of diesel was allowed to enter the Gaza Strip since 6 May, which is well below the requirement for UN and NGO partners on the ground, therefore urgent rationing and difficult choices have been taken.
• According to OCHA, despite escalating humanitarian needs, access challenges persistently obstruct the efforts of humanitarian organizations to reach vulnerable people, particularly in northern Gaza. From 1-9 May, only nine out of 32 humanitarian aid missions (28 per cent) to northern Gaza were facilitated by Israeli authorities. Five missions (16 per cent) were outright denied, eleven (34 percent) were impeded and seven (22 per cent) were cancelled due to logistical hurdles. Similarly, in areas of southern Gaza requiring coordination, Israeli authorities facilitated 25 out of 46 aid missions (54 percent). However, nine missions (20 percent) faced outright denials, three (6 percent) were impeded, and nine (20 percent) were cancelled due to logistical constraints.
• The current Israeli military operation in Rafah is directly impacting the ability of aid agencies to bring critical humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Between 6 - 10 May the border crossings of Kerem Shalom and Rafah were closed due to a combination of military activity, insecurity and lack of approvals from Israeli authorities.
• As of 12 May, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities is 189, an increase of one since the last report.
• As of 11 May, 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.
• Already displaced families are on the move again namely due to insecurity and Israeli evacuation orders. As of 12 May 2024, the estimated number of people displaced out of Rafah amounts to nearly 360,000 people since 06 May. The majority of UNRWA shelters in Rafah have been left by the IDPs who moved to Khan Younis and Deir Al Balah. Furthermore, new evacuation orders have been issued affecting parts of Gaza City. It was reported that about 100,000 people were displaced from Zaitoun and Sabra areas towards the west of Gaza City. In the North of Gaza, it was reported that about 64,000 people were displaced from Jabalia and Beit Lahia after the new evacuation orders.

*This includes 1 million people living 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 300,000 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.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem update will shift to once a week, every Monday.

• Between 6 and 12 May, there were 175 recorded Israeli Security Forces (ISF) search and arrest operations across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. More than 130 Palestinians, including Palestine Refugees, were detained during this period. Two Palestine Refugees were killed: a resident of Tulkarm Camp who died on 6 May from injuries after being fired upon by ISF east of Tulkarm, and a resident of Balata Camp who died on 12 May after an exchange of fire during an ISF search operation in the camp.
• On 6 May, an ISF search and arrest operation in the northern West Bank targeted Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, lasting nearly 22 hours. The operation caused significant damage, including bulldozing of roads and the destruction of a Palestinian Red Crescent Society medical post.
• On 9 May, the ISF, using explosives, demolished an apartment near Shu'fat Camp, in the Jerusalem area. The apartment belonged to a Palestinian killed in February 2024 by ISF after allegedly being involved in a security incident. Punitive home demolitions are a form of collective punishment, illegal under international law.
• The UNRWA West Bank Field Office in East Jerusalem was subject to an arson attack by Israeli residents on 9 May, who set fire to the perimeter of the compound while staff were inside. This followed a violent protest outside the office on 7 May, during which windows were broken and UNRWA staff were attacked with stones. Following these incidents the UNRWA West Bank Field Office was temporarily closed.