Emergency Manager's Weekly Report

Jul 265 min read

Israel/Hamas War Situation Report #56

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) over the course of their war with Hamas has reported the following accomplishments:

o Half of the leadership of Hamas' military wing, including six brigade commanders, over 20 battalion commanders, and approximately 150 company commanders have been killed.

o They have struck 60,000 targets in Gaza.

· On July 18th, the IDF killed Ali Jaafar Maatuk, who was a commander of the Radwan Force's operations unit.

· In response to the continued attacks from the Houthis in Yemen on July 20th, the IDF conducted an extensive operational strike around the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen.

Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

Israel

· On July 18th, a residential building was struck by a drone launched from Yemen:

o One person was killed.

o A total of six people were injured.

· The Magen David Adom (MDA) has also responded to several attacks in Israel:

o On July 22nd, the MDA responded to an attempted stabbing attack near Netiv Ha'Asara. No one was physically injured though in this attack.

o MDA responded to a drive-by shooting on July 25th. They treated three people.

Gaza Strip

· The United Nations has reported that up to 1.9 million people across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced. As of July 22nd, nearly 83% of the Gaza Strip population has been placed under evacuation orders or designated as “no-go zones” by the Israeli military.

· On July 22nd, the IDF reported that due to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward Israel they have adjusted the Humanitarian Area:

o The remaining population left in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis were ordered to evacuate to the adjusted Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.

o The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that as of July 23rd, about 150,000 people have fled the area.

o OCHA and their partners are receiving and registering those who cross into the south, providing them with water, food and other supplies, as well as basic health care, medical referrals, critical information and child protection services.

· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) are operating 27 shelters as of July 24th:

o Seven shelters are out of service due to Israeli occupation measures (repeated forced evacuation orders and targeting displacement areas).

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting that only 16 out of 36 hospitals (44%) are partially functional and 45 out of 105 (43%) primary health care facilities are functional.

o There are 13 WHO Emergency Medical Teams supporting the local healthcare workforce, including one in northern Gaza as of July 23rd.

o The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remains a major actor in the health sector, providing health services across 10 primary health centers and up to 100 medical points.

o Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus (VDPV) Type 2 has been detected through environmental tests in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis:

ü WHO is working with the Ministry of Health in Gaza and partners to initiate response measures, including the deployment of a Polio expert to conduct further assessments and guide the response strategy.

ü No paralytic cases have been detected.

ü Prior to the conflict, polio vaccination rates in Gaza were optimal.

ü The decimation of the health system, lack of security, access obstruction, constant population displacement, shortages of medical supplies, poor quality of water and weakened sanitation are increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.

o 16 people from Gaza with complicated medical conditions arrived in Spain on July 24th to receive care:

ü 15 were children ranging in age from three to 17 years old.

ü The children were accompanied by 25 family members and other caregivers.

ü This evacuation process involved WHO, the European Union, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and the governments of Egypt and Spain.

· As of July 20th, 13 out of 18 bakeries supported by humanitarian partners were operational.

· Fuel shortages continue to undermine humanitarian operations and jeopardize the functioning of health, water, and food production facilities:

o Between July 1-21, just over 2.1 million liters of fuel entered Gaza, including 378,700 on July 21st alone.

o On average, this is about 103,000 liters of fuel per day, or a quarter of the estimated 400,000 liters of fuel needed daily to sustain humanitarian activities in Gaza.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:

· The IDF reported that as of July 25th, Hamas continued to hold 115 hostages.

· On July 22nd and 25th, the IDF recovered the remains of seven hostages.

· As of July 22nd, a total of 197 UNRWA personnel have been killed.

· On July 22nd, the IDF fired at a UNRWA convoy going on a coordinated and approved mission to Gaza City. No casualties were reported but one of their armored vehicles was severely damaged and was forced to leave the convoy.

· The UN reported that two clearly marked UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) vehicles were hit with live ammunition while waiting at a designated holding point near the Wadi Gaza checkpoint:

o These vehicles were enroute to reunite five children, including a baby, with their father. No injuries were reported.

o This is the second shooting incident involving UNICEF cars on humanitarian duty in the past 12 weeks.

· As of July 23rd, UNRWA reported that nearly 70% of their schools have been hit since October. Almost all were serving as shelters for the displaced when they were struck.

· The IDF targeted and fired upon a PRCS ambulance in Khan Yunis on July 25th while the crew was evacuating an injured person.

Sources:

· UNRWA Situation Report #123 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information from 18–22 July 2024, valid as of 22 July 2024 at 22:30)

· Gaza Humanitarian Response Update | 8-21 July 2024

· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page

· Magen David Adom Twitter Page

· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page

· OCHA Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page

Resources

UCPM and EU humanitarian aid response to the situation in the Middle East | DG ECHO Daily Map | 25/07/2024 (New)