Gaza Humanitarian Snapshot #2: 13 – 29 July 2024

>>>Read the full report

SITUATION IN GAZA

• As of 29 July, 39,363 Palestinians have been reported killed in Gaza and almost 91,000 injured (Ministry of Health in Gaza). Thousands remain buried under the rubble and presumed dead.
• 86% of Gaza is subject to so-called "evacuation orders"* (UNRWA) This means that Israel expects Gaza's 2.1 million Palestinians to seek shelter in only 14% of the Strip.
• Almost half a million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have experienced a 94% reduction in water availability compared to pre-October levels. (Oxfam).
• On 13 July, two Palestinian staff of a War Child NGO partner were killed. Also on 13 July, the shelter of a second War Child and ActionAid NGO partner staff member was also bombed in Nuseirat, killing all four of his daughters, and critically injuring his wife.
• In just four days during 21 - 24 July, UNICEF and UNRWA both came under fire. On 21 July, Israeli forces shot at a clearly marked UN convoy attempting to access Gaza City. The convoy had been coordinated and approved by the Israeli authorities. (UNRWA). On 23 July, two clearly marked UNICEF convoys were hit by live fire as they waited at a designated holding point in Wadi Gaza. (UNICEF). Since October 2023, some 278 humanitarian aid workers have been killed in Gaza. (OCHA).
• Gaza's already collapsed health facilities are becoming increasingly overwhelmed while Nasser Medical Complex received 70 fatalities and 200 injuries on 22 July alone (OCHA).
• Between 22 - 27 July, new so-called "evacuation orders" issued by Israeli forces saw a mass exodus of some 200,000 people from central and eastern Khan Younis, and displaced a further 12,600 from camps in Deir al Balah. (OCHA)(OCHA)
• On 26 July, Israeli soldiers bombed the main source of drinking water in Rafah - the "Tal Sultan Water Reservoir", in southern Gaza Strip. (Haaretz)
• On 27 July, an Israeli airstrike on a Girl's School in Deir al Balah, central Gaza, where some 4,000 displaced Palestinian were sheltering, killed at least 30 people, including children, who were sheltering there (OHCA). The school also hosted one of Gaza's main mental health service providers.

As humanitarian actors, our presence in Gaza is possible thanks to the unwavering commitment of our colleagues on the ground despite great risks to their own lives. Our continued presence should not be mistaken for an indication of unimpeded access. We operate at great risk, despite significant impediments to our access. The risks our colleagues are exposed to each moment are unacceptable and contrary to their protections under international law. In Gaza, we are not witnessing a "shrinking" humanitarian space; there is barely any space left to operate at all.

We, the undersigned NGOs continue to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and maintain it is the only way to provide humanitarian assistance and protect and save lives in Gaza.

• Action Aid
• Anera
• CARE
• Churches for Middle East Peace
• DCA
• Gaza Protection Consortium
• Handicap International
• Islamic Relief
• Medecins Du Monde
• Medicos Del Mundo
• Mercy Corps
• Middle East Children's Alliance
• Norwegian Church Aid
• Norwegian Refugee Council
• Oxfam
• Plan International
• Premiere Urgence Internationale
• Project HOPE
• Save the Children
• Terres Des Hommes
• War Child
• We World