Emergency Manager's Weekly Report

Jul 315 min read

Israel/Hamas War Situation Report #57

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· Between July 26-29, one Israel Defense Forces (IDF) solider was killed in Gaza.

· The IDF reported on July 26th the following operational activity in Gaza:

o Khan Yunis: 100 terrorists were killed who fired mortars toward IDF troops during combat in the area.

o Rafah: The Israeli Air Force struck 45 terrorist targets (terrorist cells, tunnel shafts, military structures, and 2 launch pits).

· Hamas has accused Israel of the assassination of their political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran.

· On July 30th, the IDF killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s Most Senior Military Commander.

· The U.S. State Department on July 31st raised the Travel Advisory for Lebanon to Level 4: Do Not Travel for the entire country.

Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

Israel

· On July 27, Hezbollah launched a rocket at the Majdal Shams regional municipality:

o The rocket struck a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams.

o A total of 11 children were killed in this strike. They ranged in age from 11-16 years old.

· On July 30th Magen David Adom (MDA) treated a 30-year male in critical condition who had shrapnel injuries. Following resuscitation efforts MDA pronounced him dead.

· The MDA in Jerusalem responded to a stabbing incident involving a 50-year-old male. This patient was treated and transported to an area hospital in critical condition.

Gaza Strip

· The United Nations reports that up to 1.9 million people are internally displaced:

o Between July 22-27, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people have been displaced due to the recent evacuation orders and intensified military operations and hostilities around Khan Younis.

· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is reporting the following:

o PRCS teams on July 29th distributed baby formula in the Gaza Governorate and North Gaza amid the famine and severe shortage of baby formula.

o They have worked to rehabilitate and reactivate the PRCS Jabalia branch in northern Gaza to resume their services.

o As of July 31st, PRCS has established the Al-Awda 2 shelter in the Al-Zawaida area in central Gaza, providing refuge for approximately 60 displaced families.

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that only 16 out of 36 hospitals (44%) are partially functional and 48 out of the 107 (45%) primary health care facilities are functional.

o On July 28th, WHO reported that a team managed to reach Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza to assess progress being made to restore emergency care and ongoing services in the hemodialysis unit:

ü Work is underway to rehabilitate the hospital’s former outpatient department and resume primary surgery and emergency care.

ü The hemodialysis unit, which has been operational since the end of May, currently has the capacity to provide dialysis services for 60 patients from Gaza City and Northern Gaza.

ü The hospital, however, lacks specialized personnel, medical supplies and equipment.

o The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remains a major actor in the health sector, providing health services across 10 primary health centers and up to 100 medical points across the Gaza Strip.

o On July 30th, WHO in partnership with the United Arab Emirates evacuated 85 sick and severely injured patients from Gaza to Abu Dhabi for specialized care:

ü The patients include 35 children and 50 adults.

ü This is the largest medical evacuation outside Gaza since October 2023.

o Efforts continue to avert the spread of polio after six circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) strains were detected in environmental samples from Deir al Balah and Khan Younis in late June:

ü WHO will be sending to Gaza more than one million polio vaccines.

· Food Security Update:

o UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) between July 19 to 25 conducted a rapid market assessment in Gaza city and Deir al Balah to examine food stock prices and diversity of products in supermarkets, wholesaler food suppliers and street market stalls:

ü Flour prices in Gaza city have been found to be stable recently but had regularly fluctuated depending on the supply from about 1,000 shekels (US$268) per 25 kilograms to around 10 shekels ($2.68).

ü Gaza city markets have no vegetables and fruits due to the lack of private commercial trucks entering the area and traders face the triple challenges of high transportation costs, insecurity and spoilage of fresh foods due to prolonged transit periods of trucks at crossings.

ü In Deir Al Balah’s main markets, fruit and vegetable wholesalers possess more diverse stocks of fresh fruits, but with only two types of vegetables.

ü One supermarket was found to be very busy, as it had three payment methods available, which were cash, bank cards and e-wallets.

o The World Central Kitchen (WCK) reported that as of July 31st, they were forced to evacuate their newest Field Kitchen (Zomi’s Kitchen) due to IDF military operations in the area.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:

· As of July 29th, an estimated 115 hostages are still being held by Hamas.

· The UNRWA reported that as of July 30th, a total of 202 personnel has been killed.

· On July 27th, the PRCS reported that a field volunteer EMT was injured while evacuating the wounded due to IDFs shelling of citizens in the Balata Refugee Camp.

· The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Al Jazeera TV reporter Ismail Al Ghoul and cameraman Ramy Al Refee were killed in a directed Israeli strike in Gaza.

Sources:

· Humanitarian Situation Update #197 | Gaza Strip

· UNRWA Situation Report #125 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information from 25–29 July 2024, valid as of 29 July 2024 at 22:30)

· Killing of Hamas’s Political Leader in Tehran Spurs Fears of Broader Conflict, and Other Headlines of the Day

· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page

· Magen David Adom Twitter Page

· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page

· OCHA Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page

· Committee to Protect Journalists Twitter Page

· World Central Kitchen Twitter Page