Military and Diplomatic Highlights:
· Israeli bombardment from the air, land, and sea continues to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. Ground incursions and heavy fighting also continue to be reported, especially in Jabalya and eastern Rafah.
· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed several high-level Hamas and Hezbollah leaders between May 21-23. They include:
o Hussein Fiad, Commander of Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion.
o Ahmed Yasser Alkara, Hamas anti-tank missile operative involved in the October 7 massacre.
o Qassem Saqlawi, Commander of the Rocket and Missile Array in Hezbollah’s Coastal Sector.
Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:
· More than 800,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been displaced from Rafah. At least 150,000 people have registered for UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) services in Khan Younis in the last 10 days.
· IDPs have been taking shelter anywhere they can, including damaged UNRWA facilities in the north.
· U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) continues to work with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations (UN) to deliver aid to Gaza through the temporary pier that was opened on May 17th:
o CENTCOM as of May 22nd has delivered 820.5 metric tons of supplies. A total of 506 metric tons has been delivered to the UN warehouse.
· Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o 7 of 9 hospitals in Southern Gaza remain fully functional.
o Over 70 shelters have now lost access to their medical points. The daily medical consultations have dropped by nearly 40%, and immunizations have fallen by 50%.
o The Najjar Hospital (220-bed capacity) remains out of service
o The Kuwaiti Hospital (36 beds) continues to serve as the main trauma care provider.
o The closure of the Rafah Crossing with Egypt has completely halted medical evacuation of patients since May 7th:
ü As of May 18th, out of the 12,760 cases requested for medical evacuation, only 38% patients have been successfully evacuated.
ü 600 patients that were scheduled to be evacuated since the closure is currently being held up.
o As of May 17th, only seven of the 24 UNRWA health centers remain operational.
o On May 23rd, the Government of Japan and the World Health Organization has signed a $10 million agreement to bolster the emergency health response in Gaza.
· Food Security Update:
o As of May 9th, 1.1 million people are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity.
o The Food Security Cluster on May 19th reported that ten bakeries supported by humanitarian partners remain operational.
o On May 21st, UNRWA announced the suspension of food distributions in Rafah due to the lack of supplies and increasing insecurity.
o Both the World Food Programme (WFP) main warehouse and UNRWA distribution center in Rafah remain inaccessible.
o A persistent shortage of cooking gas is hindering the ability to keep community kitchens and bakeries running and to ensure proper food preparation and nutrition in affected communities.
o Despite mounting challenges, the WFP has been able to reach an estimated one million people across Gaza so far this month with reduced rations since access constraints have reduced stock availability.
Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:
· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported the loss of two staff members on May 17 and 23. They were:
o Najm Tabassi was a mental health volunteer who was killed with his wife when their house was bombed by Israeli forces.
o Akram Mahmoud Abdullah Makki was a nurse with the reception and emergency department staff. He was killed in an attack by the IDF at the Al-Ja'ouni School in the Al-Nuseirat camp.
Sources:
· Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #169
· WFP Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #21 (21 May 2024)
· oPt Emergency Situation Update 30 (7 Oct 2023 - 18 May 2024 at 16:00)
· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page
· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page
· UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page
· WHO in occupied Palestinian territory Twitter Page
· U.S. Central Command Twitter Page
Resources
FAO, On the ground in Gaza Website
ADL, We Stand with Israel Website
Monetary Donations:
Before you donate please review the organization’s track record by using CharityWatch and Charity Navigator.
· UN Crisis Relief, Occupied Palestinian Territories
· IsraAID
· WHO Foundation, Gaza Crisis: Help Save Lives
· UN Migration Agency, Gaza
Comments