Military and Diplomatic Highlights:
• Between October 8-15, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the deaths of five soldiers in Gaza and four soldiers in Lebanon.
• On October 12th, Hezbollah launched 320 projectiles against targets in Northern Israel.
• The IDF reported that they killed the following Hamas and Hezbollah leaders between October 5-11:
o Araeb el Shoga, Commander in the Hezbollah Radwan Forces’ Anti-Tank Missile Unit
o Ahmad Moustafa al-Haj Ali, Commander of the Houla Front
o Mohammad Ali Hamdan, Commander of Hezbollah’s anti-tank unit
o Adham Jahout
o Muhammad Hussein Ali al-Mahmoud, Hamas’ executive authority in Lebanon
o Said Alaa Naif Ali, Hamas recruiter
• On October 10 and 11, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions were repeatedly hit by the IDF which injured two peacekeepers, damaged vehicles and a communications system, and disabled monitoring cameras.
• A UNFIL peacekeeper at their headquarters in Naqoura was hit by gunfire on October 12th due to ongoing military activity nearby.
• On October 13th, the President of the United States authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew to Israel to help bolster Israel's air defenses.
Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:
Israel
Between October 5 and 16 the Magen David Adom (MDA) has responded to multiple incidents throughout the country:
• In the Sdot Dan region on October 7th, MDA treated and transported two female casualties in mild condition with shrapnel injuries.
• A stabbing terrorist attack occurred on October 9th in Hadera (Northern Israel) injuring six people who were treated and transported by the MDA.
• On October 9th, MDA pronounced two people dead in Kiryat Shmona.
• On October 13th a Hezbollah drone strike injured 61 people near Binyamina north of Netanya:
o Three people were listed in critical condition.
o 18 people were listed in moderate condition.
o 31 people were mildly injured
• An anti-tank missile struck agricultural land in the Upper Galilee. MDA pronounced dead a 27-year-old Thai foreign national.
• A shooting on October 15th injured two people on Highway 4 near Yavne interchange and Nir Galim junction. Both patients were treated and transported to area hospitals.
Gaza Strip
• According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) about 90% of the population as of October 10th is internally displaced.
• The IDF issued evacuation orders on October 5 and 6 which affected five neighborhoods in the middle area and all Northern Gaza:
o These orders have affected an estimated 400,000 people (20% of the entire population).
o The IDF expanded the humanitarian zone in Al Mawasi and west Khan Younis.
• After the beginning of an IDF operation in Jabaliya on October 6th over 50,000 people have been displaced from the area.
• Between October 1-14, out of 285 humanitarian movements coordinated with the Israeli authorities throughout Gaza:
o 49% were denied access.
o 30% were facilitated.
o 17% faced impediments (thus often implemented partially or aborted).
o 4% were cancelled due to logistical and security issues.
• The PRCS estimates that as of October 8th more than 10,000 people remain missing in damaged and destroyed buildings.
• Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o The second round of polio vaccination began on October 14th:
It began in Central Gaza and is expected to move to the south on October 19th and then to the north of the Strip.
This round takes place in three phases, each lasting up to four days in each area.
The target is to administer a second dose of the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 to an estimated 591,700 children under 10 years of age.
The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that as of October 16th 157,000 children have been reached.
o The Kamal Adwan, Al Awda and the Indonesian hospitals in Northern Gaza are operating at a minimum capacity amid shortages of fuel, blood units, trauma disposables, medications for patients with non-communicable diseases, and the ongoing military activities nearby:
In total, 285 patients remain in these facilities, including eight children and five adults receiving mechanical ventilation in Intensive Care Units and 161 patients in emergency departments.
Many patients urgently need advanced procedures, such as neurosurgery and vascular surgery, which cannot be conducted under current conditions.
After three failed attempts to reach these hospitals on October 12th two missions led by the World Health Organization (WHO), managed to transfer 19 critical patients from Kamal Adwan to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city and to deliver 15,000 liters of fuel to Kamal Adwan and 5,000 liters to Al Awda.
o On October 12th, WHO delivered 800 blood units, essential medicines and supplies, and 23,000 liters of fuel to Al Sahaba Hospital.
• Food Security Update:
o As of October 12th, no humanitarian food assistance has entered northern Gaza since October 2nd as all crossings have been closed, and entire kitchens, bakeries and food distribution points in the North Gaza governorate have been forced to shut down due to airstrikes, military ground operations and evacuation orders:
o At least three quarters of the population have been relying on food aid to survive.
o Essential goods are also largely unavailable on the market and the prices of what remains available are exorbitantly high.
o On October 13th, five bakeries in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis were forced to close due to the shortage of flour.
• The PRCS has reported that as of October 12th, 70% of homes have been either damaged or destroyed.
• 70% of Gaza’s water and sanitation plants have been destroyed or damaged as of October 14th.
Lebanon
• A total of 2,169 people has been killed and 10,212 injured since October 8th.
• Since October 8th, there are 689,715 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs):
o A total of 186,400 people sought refuge in 1,023 collective shelters, of which 822 have already reached their maximum capacity:
The UNRWA as of October 15th is operating 11 emergency shelters throughout the country. Several of these shelters are at full capacity.
o The Syrian Red Crescent Society continues to support refugees in Syria. This support as of October 14th includes:
Six tents were installed at border crossings and the SRCS is rehabilitating 474 housing units at the Herjala shelter center in Damascus.
A total of 27,056 families were transported from border crossings to their destinations in various governorates.
8,170 people were transferred from the Lebanese border to Syria after the road was cut off.
20,057 people were served in mobile clinics, mobile teams and dispensaries.
• UNFIL has been working to coordinate the safe passage of essential humanitarian aid to civilians in south Lebanon.
• On October 9th, the European Union launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge to Beirut:
o 35 tons of shelter and hygiene items were delivered on October 11th.
o On October 15th, 70 tons of emergency aid (shelter supplies) were delivered.
• Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o WHO has warned that rapid displacement in Lebanon is significantly increasing public health risks, with overcrowding in shelters raising the likelihood of infectious disease spread.
o WHO has ramped up its support to Lebanon in the following ways:
Strengthening coordination for the response.
Providing life-saving trauma and emergency care.
Ensuring continuity of essential health services.
Strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak control measures.
o On October 10th WHO delivered medical supplies that can support 1,300 surgical procedures for 650 trauma patients in six major hospitals in Beirut.
o On October 16th, the Ministry of Health confirmed a case of cholera in the northern part of the country:
An oral vaccination campaign that started in August has now been interrupted by the escalation in violence.
WHO has activated a preparedness and response plan to strengthen surveillance and contact tracing.
Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:
Gaza Strip
• As of October 10th, 226 UNRWA team members have been killed.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that in the first half of October two journalists were killed and three others were injured.
• The PRCS reported the following on October 16th:
o A total of 34 staff members have been detained by the IDF.
o 34 staff and volunteers were injured on duty.
o 29 ambulances were taken out of service due to being damaged or desstroyed.
• The UNRWA confirmed on October 14th that IDF fired artillery rounds in and out of the Jabalia Food Distribution Center. At least 10 people were killed and 40 injured.
Lebanon
• Since October 8th, there have been at least 39 attacks on healthcare facilities which killed 94 healthcare workers.
• Five Civil Defense workers were killed in an attack on a civil defense center in Risala Scouts on October 9th.
Sources:
• Humanitarian Situation Update #229 | Gaza Strip
• Lebanon: Flash Update #34 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 10 October 2024
• UNRWA Situation Report #142 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. All information from 4-10 October 2024, is valid as of 10 October 2024 at 22:30
• Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page
• Magen David Adom Twitter Page
• Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page
• United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Twitter Page
• WHO Occupied Territories Twitter Page
• UN Agency for Palestine Refugees Twitter Page
• EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Twitter Page
• OCHA Lebanon Twitter Page
• WHO Lebanon Twitter Page
• Syrian Red Crescent Twitter Page
• US Central Command Twitter Page
• OCHA Lebanon Twitter Page
• WHO Lebanon Twitter Page
• EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Twitter Page
Resources
oPt: Humanitarian Fund Dashboard (September 2024) (New)
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General – on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (New)
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 Agency for Palestine Refugees
• Palestine Red Crescent Society
• Magen David Adom
• United Hatzalah
• UN Crisis Relief, Occupied Palestinian Territories
• 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
• WHO Foundation, Gaza Crisis: Help Save Lives
• UN Migration Agency, Gaza
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy
Comments