Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Source: UN / Image: © UNFPA/Media Clinic

The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has highlighted ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, particularly in northern Gaza, where dire conditions are reported at Kamal Adwan Hospital. Since October 6, 2024, Gaza Strip schools have been targeted 95 times, with 61 of those attacks concentrated in this area.

Floods have damaged temporary shelters in Gaza, but UN humanitarian teams have assisted 285,000 people by repairing these shelters between September and November. OCHA estimates that 950,000 people urgently need protection from winter conditions. To address this, 58,000 ceiling kits and 36,000 tarpaulins have been prepared to meet the needs of 400,000 people.

However, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza remains slow, and the process faces significant delays. Aid convoys entering Gaza encounter extreme insecurity, with reports of food and relief supplies being looted.

Humanitarian agencies have stressed the urgent need to stop these attacks. Last Tuesday, a UN convoy was permitted to use a crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt, delivering food assistance to 200,000 people facing acute shortages.

According to the UN, from December 1 to 16, 2024, 339 relief missions were planned for Gaza. Of these, 102 received approval, 141 were rejected, and 62 faced obstacles. Additionally, 34 missions were postponed due to security and logistical challenges. The UN health agency has warned of rising respiratory infections, diarrhea, and other illnesses as temperatures drop. Over 1.3 million respiratory infection cases and 550,000 cases of diarrhea have already been reported in 2024, with conditions expected to worsen.

Many displaced Palestinians are reportedly sheltering in the rubble of destroyed homes in Khan Younis, Bani Suheila, and other areas. According to local authorities in Gaza, Israeli military actions last week killed 273 Palestinians and injured 853.

Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas and other extremist groups launched attacks on southern Israel, over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 100,000 injured in Israeli military operations. OCHA, citing Israeli military data, reported that between October 7, 2023, and December 17, 2024, 1,586 Israeli and foreign civilians were killed, most of them during the initial attacks or shortly after. This includes 386 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza or near the border areas, with approximately 2,500 more injured.

It is estimated that around 100 Israeli and foreign hostages are still being held in Gaza. While some hostages are presumed dead, their bodies have not been returned.