Israel/Hamas War Situation Report #27

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· Heavy Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea have continued across most of the Gaza Strip, with intense ground battles reported in the refugee camps in central Gaza and the southern town of Khan Younis, and heavy strikes reported in Gaza city.

· The firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel also continued.

· Ground operations and intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, with airstrikes and missiles striking housing units and infrastructure, reportedly resulted in high numbers of fatalities. This occurred in areas where Palestinians have relocated following orders from Israeli forces to move from northern Gaza.

· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has killed Mamdouh Lolo, the Islamic Jihad’s Chief of Operational Staff.

· As of January 3rd, a total of 173 IDF soldiers have been killed and 991 soldiers have been injured.

Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

Gaza Strip:

· The UN and other humanitarian partners have been unable to deliver needed relief supplies north of Wadi Gaza for three days due to access delays, active combat, and denials.

· On January 3rd, 105 trucks with food, medicine and other supplies entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings:

o Despite the opening of Kerem Shalom as an additional entry point on December 17th, the crossing was closed for six days due to security concerns.

o The Kerem Shalom crossing is utilized for UN and INGO convoys, with 80 trucks manifested per day.

o As of December 28th, there is a backlog of about 3,000 aid trucks in Al Arish, Egypt, waiting to enter Gaza. An additional 500 trucks containing relief supplies are awaiting in Port Said.

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o As of January 30th, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over the past three days, 13 trucks carrying crucial medical supplies for surgeries and anesthesia were delivered through the Rafah crossing. These supplies were delivered to the following healthcare facilities:

ü Nasser Medical Complex

ü Al Aqsa Hospital

ü Al Awda Hospital

o The spread of infectious diseases in Gaza is increasing. WHO is reporting the following:

ü 180,000 people with upper respiratory infections

ü Over 136,000 cases of diarrhea (Half of these cases are children under the age of five).

ü Over 55,000 cases of lice and scabies

ü Over 5,000 chickenpox cases

o There are at least 50,000 pregnant women and 183 daily births as of January 3rd.

o On January 3rd, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is still operating and receiving casualties at the medical point in Jabalia (Northern Gaza). This medical point has received a total of 1,051 cases.

· Food Security Update:

o According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) data analysis, the risk of famine increases each day as the current conflict continues and restricted humanitarian access persists:

ü IPC analysis concludes that people in Gaza have already surpassed the acute food insecurity threshold of famine.

ü At least one in four households, more than half a million people, is facing catastrophic acute food insecurity conditions.

o The World Food Programme (WFP) continues to deliver food parcels, wheat flour, hot meals, fortified date bars and biscuits and Lipid Nutrient Supplements to people inside and outside shelters in Gaza. However, distributions remain largely limited to Rafah, while other areas are occasionally reachable through partners.

o In addition to working with partners, WFP began large-scale distributions through community leaders to accelerate distributions and reach more people in informal camps.

o A pilot convoy from Jordan reached the Gaza Strip on December 20th with 46 trucks organized by WFP and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization containing more than 750 metric tons of food.

o WFP requires a minimum of $314 million to sustain its emergency response for up to 1.1 million affected people until April 2024. The response is currently 58% funded.

West Bank:

· As of January 3rd, at least 1,208 people have been displaced because of settler violence and access restrictions. The displaced are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:

· The IDF is reporting that 136 people are still being held as hostages by Hamas.

· The PRCS reported on January 2nd, that the IDF targeted the seventh and eighth floors of their administrative building with artillery fire. This attack killed at least four Internally Displaced Persons who were sheltering in the building. The attack also injured a PRCS paramedic.

· The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on January 4th was very disturbed by the statements of high-level Israeli officials on plans to forcible transfer Palestinians in Gaza to other countries.

Sources:

· Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #83

· WFP Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #12 (4 January 2024)

· Palestine Red Crescent Society Response Report As of Saturday, October 7th 2023, 6:00 PM Until Tuesday, January 2, 20223 24:00 AM

· Palestine - Gaza Response, Operation Overview, 18 - 31 December 2023

· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page

· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page

· OCHA Palestine Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Palestinian Territory Twitter Page

Resources