Military and Diplomatic Highlights: · Rockets continue to be launched against civilian targets in Israel. · On October 25th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that a surface-to-air missile and a drone was launched from Lebanon: o The missile and drone were destroyed by the Aerial Defense System. o IDF aircraft targeted the source of the launches. · On October 24th, in response to rocket launches from Syria that occurred on October 23rd, IDF fighter jets struck multiple Syrian military targets. · U.S. Central Command reported on October 24th that the 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron has arrived to deter further aggression in the region. Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights: Israel · Magen David Adom (MDA) in Central Israel treated and transported four patients. · United Hatzalah has delivered 50 tons of medical supplies to IDF soldiers and has supplied the IDF ambulances. Palestine · The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is reporting 6,546 fatalities. About 70% of the fatalities were women, children, and the elderly. · On October 24th, the Rafah border crossing was opened to receive eight trucks of humanitarian supplies (water, food, and medical supplies). The daily average of trucks allowed into Gaza prior to the hostilities was about 500. · An estimated 1.4 million people in Gaza are Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), with some 629,000 sheltering in 150 UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) designated emergency shelters: o Overcrowding is a growing concern, as the average number of IDPs per shelter has reached 2.7 times their designated capacity. o The PRCS also provided humanitarian assistance to UNRWA shelter schools in Gaza. · On October 25th, the IDF called upon the residents of two neighborhoods (population of over 40,000) to evacuate westwards to the Al Mawasi area, which is on the coast. That area has almost no sheltering capacity. · The PRCS has distributed 16,301 food parcels to displaced families in Al-Wusta (Central), Khan Younis, and Rafah governorates over the past 24 hours. · The World Food Programme has assisted an estimated 628,500 affected people in shelters and communities with emergency food and cash across Gaza and the West Bank. WFP will likely require at least $100 million for the next 90 days to sustain its emergency response. · Healthcare and Public Health Update: o The World Health Organization (WHO) on October 24th provided medical supplies to four major hospitals in Southern Gaza. o WHO also provided 51 pallets of medical equipment and supplies to the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. This hospital’s bed occupancy is close to 150%. o Hospital Status in Northern Gaza: ü The Indonesian Hospital was forced to shut down some critical services due to lack of fuel and is now running with limited functionality. ü The Turkish Friendship Hospital, which is the only oncology hospital in the Gaza Strip, remains partially functional due to lack of fuel, putting around 2,000 cancer patients at risk. o Six other hospitals located throughout Gaza have shut down due to lack of fuel. o The eight UNRWA health centers in Southern Gaza remain operational in the South. o WHO has documented 171 attacks on healthcare: ü 493 people have been killed in health attacks including 16 health workers on duty. · Fuel, which is desperately needed to run backup generators, remains banned by the Israeli authorities. As a result, the UNRWA has almost exhausted its fuel reserves and has begun to significantly reduce its operations. · Water supply through the network in areas south of Wadi Gaza has temporarily improved: o UNRWA and the UN Children’s Fund managed to deliver small quantities of fuel they had retrieved from their existing reserves to key facilities. o The available fuel in these facilities will be exhausted by October 26th and supply of piped water is expected to cease again. Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL): · The Israeli governments reports that Hamas is holding 222 civilians as hostages. · UNRWA reports that 38 staff members have been killed. · The United Hatzalah training and logistics center in Kiryat Malachi was hit directly by a rocket. · At least 40 UNRWA facilities have been impacted. Sources:
· Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #19 · UNRWA Situation Report #14 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (all information valid as of 24 October 2023 at 18:00 local time) · WFP Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #5 (24 October 2023) · Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page · Magen David Adom Twitter Page · United Hatzalah Twitter Page · UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page · Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page · U.S. Central Command Twitter Page
Resources IntelBrief: What Follows Hamas in Gaza? (New) https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2023-october-24/ ADL, We Stand with Israel Website https://www.adl.org/stand-with-israel Monetary Donations: Before you donate please review the organization’s track record by using CharityWatch and Charity Navigator.
· Palestine Red Crescent Society · Magen David Adom · United Hatzalah · UN Crisis Relief, Occupied Palestinian Territories · UN Agency for Palestine Refugees · American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Inc. · Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center · Sderot Foundation · Soroka Medical Center · American Friends of Rambam Hospital in Haifa · Syrian American Medical Society Foundation · American Near East Refugee Aid · Doctors Without Borders · IsraAID · Jewish Agency for Israel · Jewish Federations of North America · Middle East Children's Alliance · Palestine Children's Relief Fund · Save the Children · World Central Kitchen
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