Hamas attack on Israel Situation Report #24

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has discovered 1,500 tunnel shafts and underground passages. A majority of these have been discovered beneath schools, hospitals, mosques, and UN facilities and civilian institutions.

· The IDF killed Subhi Ferwana who was a Hamas financier.

· On Dec 18th the IDF reported the deaths of four soldiers in Southern Gaza.

Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

Israel:

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

· The Magen David Adom (MDA) on December 18th treated two people due to shooting incidents in the Jerusalem Region and near Ateret.

Gaza Strip:

· On December 18th, heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land, and sea, continued across Gaza, with the most intense airstrikes reported in Jabalya, as well as in Ash Sheikh Redwan, Ar Rimal, Ash Shujai'yeh, and Ad Daraj areas of Gaza city.

· Up to 1.9 million people (close to 90% of the population) have been displaced across the Gaza Strip:

o As of December 13th, nearly 1.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sheltering in 155 UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) facilities.

o The last informational update for IDPs sheltering in UNRWA facilities in Northern Gaza and Gaza City was from October 12th. The lack of updates is due to access constraints and the ongoing security situation.

· On December 17th, 102 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and four tankers of fuel entered Gaza through Rafah crossing and 79 trucks entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

· The European Union (EU) through 28 humanitarian air bridge flights has delivered 1,231 tons of relief supplies and 1,500 logistical items to Egypt and Palestine.

· Healthcare and Public Health Updates:

o The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting that only eight of 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are partially functioning:

ü Three hospitals (Al Shifa Hospital, Al Awda-North, Assahaba Medical Complex) in northern Gaza Strip are functioning at minimal capacity.

ü The Al Ahli hospital has been substantially damaged, and in acute need of oxygen and essential medical supplies, water, food, and fuel. The hospital needs additional health personnel.

ü Kamal Adwan Hospital has been under siege since December 8. The hospital was already minimally functional due to acute shortages of fuel, water, food, and medical supplies even before the siege.

o Disease Surveillance and Testing:

ü Syndromic disease surveillance has demonstrated increases in infectious diseases (acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, and acute jaundice syndrome). These are likely to continue worsening due to overcrowding of shelters, destruction of water and sanitation systems, and decreased availability of health services.

ü WHO is in the process of delivering testing kits for infectious diseases to healthcare facilities. Currently, there is no diagnostic capacity in the Gaza Strip with the central laboratory in northern Gaza unable to function due to ongoing hostilities.

· Following the longest shutdown of telecommunications and internet services in Gaza, which started on December 14th, services to the southern parts of Gaza Strip have been partially restored.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:

· The IDF reported there are currently 129 hostages being held by Hamas.

· WHO is reporting 19,453 Palestinians have been killed, around 70% are reported to be women and children.

· The UNRWA as of December 18th reported that 136 personnel have been killed.

· UNRWA is also reporting the following violations as of December 16th:

o At least 297 IDPs seeking refuge in their facilities have been killed and at least 1,032 injured.

o A total of 342 school buildings (70 are UNRWA schools) have sustained damage. This accounts for about 70% of all school buildings in Gaza.

· Between December 16-18, Israeli forces killed 12 Palestinians in the West Bank and another Palestinian died from wounds sustained in a previous Israeli forces' operation.

· On December 16th, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem reported the following violations:

o An IDF sniper killed two Christian women (mother and daughter) inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.

o Seven more IDPs at the church compound were shot and wounded.

o An IDF tank opened fire on the Convent of the Sisters’ of Mother Theresa which was sheltering 54 disabled people:

ü The attack destroyed the building’s generator, fuel reserves, solar panels, and water tanks.

ü The building was rendered uninhabitable and 54 people have been displaced.

Dis-Information Highlights:

· Iran which is supplying Hamas and Hezbollah made a false statement that these groups are getting their weapons from Ukraine.

· The false narrative that numerous Palestinians are faking injuries and deaths persists. A new Instagram post showing a man clutching his chest and falling to the ground after confronting IDF soldiers. The video is from 2015.

Sources:

· Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #72

· UNRWA Situation Report #54 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information is valid as of 17-19 December 2023 at 22:30)

· oPt Emergency Situation Update 17 (As of 14 December 2023, 15:00)

· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page

· Magen David Adom Twitter Page

· UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Palestinian Territory Twitter Page

· PolyGraph Info Twitter Page

· PolitiFact Twitter Page

· Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Twitter Page

Resources

ADL, We Stand with Israel Website

https://www.adl.org/stand-with-israel

Monetary Donations: