Military and Diplomatic Highlights:
• Between October 22-29, nine Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza.
• The IDF has killed the following Hamas and Hezbollah leaders between October 17-30:
o Yahya Sinwar, Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau
o Mustafa Ahmad Shahdi, Deputy Commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces
o Ahmed Jafar Maatouk, Commander of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil Area
o Hashem Safieddine, Head of the Hezbollah Executive Council
o Ali Hussein Hazima, Commander of Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters
• On October 25th, the IDF conducted strikes on military targets in Iran.
• The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) has reported the following attacks on their personnel and facilities between October 10-29:
o A UNIFIL observation tower at the Naqoura headquarters was hit by Israeli tank fire on October 10th. Two peacekeepers were seriously injured.
o UNFIL peacekeepers on October 22nd, were on duty in a permanent observation post near Dhayra. They observed IDF soldiers conducting house clearing operations nearby. IDF forces fired on the post.
o On October 29th a likely Hezbollah rocket struck UNFIL headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire. Several peacekeepers suffered minor injuries.
• The U.S. State Department is continuing to assist U.S. citizens in Lebanon. To facilitate family reunification, on October 28th the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has resumed full immigrant visa processing for Lebanese family members of U.S. citizens.
Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:
Israel
The Magen David Adom (MDA) between October 19-30 have responded to the following incidents:
• October 19th: In Akko, Ein Hamifratz MDA pronounced the death of a 50-year-old male after he was struck by shrapnel.
• October 23rd: MDA treated and transported one 50-year-old male in moderate condition in Western Galilee.
• October 24th: MDA treated and transported three patients to area hospitals.
• October 25th: In Majd Al-Krum, MDA treated and transported nine people to area hospitals. Their conditions ranged from critical to mild.
• October 27th: Two people were injured by shrapnel were treated and transported to area hospitals.
• October 30th: MDA in the Yarden region treated and transported a 70-year-old male with a mild head injury from rocket shrapnel.
Gaza Strip
• The UN reports that at least 1.9 million people (90% of the population) are displaced:
o Over the past three weeks, more than 71,000 people have been displaced from North Gaza governorate to Gaza city and about 100,000 people remain in North Gaza.
o As of October 29th, the IDF issued over 65 evacuation orders, including four that were subsequently revoked. Currently, about 80% of Gaza is under active evacuation orders.
o On October 26th, the IDF announced the expansion of the humanitarian zone in Al Mawasi to which it has been ordering Palestinian to move. This expanded the zone to 68 square kilometers (19%) of Gaza’s total area.
• Between October 6-28 a total of 36 coordination requests were submitted to the Israeli authorities for critical aid missions targeting Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahya (all in North Gaza governorate) were denied access, 14 faced impediments, and 23 were facilitated.
• On October 25th, the Palestinian Civil Defense announced that it has been forced to halt operations in Northern Gaza, rendering the area without life-saving civil defense services, including firefighting, search and rescue, and emergency medical assistance.
• Healthcare and Public Health Updates:
o As of October 26th, out of the five hospitals in Northern Gaza, only two (Kamal Adwan and Al Awda) remain partially operational.
o On October 25th the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, delivered essential medical supplies to the Al-Shifa and Al-Ahli hospitals.
o The Al- Awda Hospital is inaccessible due to damaged roads, with 151 people, including 65 employees, 43 patients, 36 companions and seven children remaining in the facility as of October 26th.
o The PRCS on October 27th established an Advanced Medical Post in the Al-Naser neighborhood in Gaza City. This initiative aims to address residents' needs and provide essential medical care.
o On October 24th a joint interagency team reached the Kamal Adwan Hospital:
23 critical patients were transferred to the Al Shifa Hospital.
The team delivered 10,000 liters of fuel, 180 blood units, medicines to cover the needs of 5,000 patients as well as trauma surgery and alcohol supplies for 1,600 interventions.
o The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported that as of October 6th, the Jabalia health center has been closed due to heavy and continuous IDF operations in the Jabalia Camp.
o Polio Vaccination Update:
The second vaccination effort began in Southern Gaza on October 20th. By the second day of this campaign, WHO and their partners vaccinated 90,716 children.
On October 23rd, the third phase of the vaccination effort has been postponed in Northern Gaza due to the escalating violence and intense bombardments.
• Food Security Update:
o As of October 17th, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published its IPC Food Insecurity and Acute Malnutrition Special Snapshot which reported:
One year into the war, the risk of famine persists.
Over 1.8 million people are in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis or Above) including nearly 133,000 people facing catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5).
o The World Food Programme (WFP) has only been able to reach 23% of the 1.1 million people targeted for food assistance in Gaza in October.
• The Israeli Knesset passed two laws that has outlawed the UNRWA.
Lebanon
• On October 30th the following humanitarian supplies were delivered throughout Lebanon by UN agencies:
o Supplies were delivered to 800 households to the village of Sarafand in southern Lebanon. The supplies include water bottles, hygiene and dignity kits, water testers, children’s clothes and first aid kits.
o 5,000 liters of fuel for water well and sanitation generators were delivered to the Burj Shemali Palestinian Refugee Camp along the South Litani River.
• The UN Migration Agency (IOM) as of October 24th recorded 833,391 people displaced within the country since October 8, 2023, of which 52% were female and 48% were male:
o At least 191,692 people are sheltering in 1,096 approved shelters, of which 928 (85%) have reached their maximum capacity.
• The IDF have continued to issue evacuation orders in Lebanon:
o The latest displacement order was issued on October 28, marking the second order within five days in Tyre as airstrikes continue to intensify.
• The Syrian Red Crescent Society (SRCS) reported that as of October 24th they provided the following services to refugees from Lebanon:
o A total of 34,209 individuals were transported from border crossings.
o Provided eight families with tracing and restoring family links and followed up with 26 family reunification and missing persons search requests.
o Six large tents were installed at border crossings and 474 housing units were rehabilitated.
• Healthcare and Public Health Update:
o On October 17th, a fifth flight arrived in Beirut which delivered 35 tons of trauma supplies, treatments for acute malnutrition, and medicines for chronic diseases which were enough to help 200,000 people.
o WHO was able to procure and deliver 90 trauma surgical kits which contain a kit sufficient to perform 100 surgical interventions, for a total of 9,000 life-saving surgical procedures to the Ministry of Health on October 19th.
• Food Security Update:
o The WFP as of October 29th have provided the following assistance:
Over 2 million meals (hot and cold) have been distributed.
A total of 440,500 people has received food and cash assistance.
o The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported on October 30th that 1,900 hectares of farmland in the South and Nabatieh governorates have been affected by the conflict.
• The UN Development Programme has warned that the economy could shrink by 9.2% by year’s end.
Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:
Gaza Strip
• Since October 2023, at least 322 aid workers, including 315 Palestinians and seven foreigners have been killed:
o As of October 20th, a total of 233 UNRWA employees have been killed.
o PRCS reported on October 23rd, 21 staff and volunteers have been killed.
• Doctors Without Borders reported that they have lost contact with one of their orthopedic surgeons (Dr. Mohammed Obeid) who was sheltering and working in Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Lebanon
• The Lebanese Ministry of Health has recorded 2,672 deaths and 12,468 injuries since October 8th.
• There have been 53 targeted attacks on health facilities and 27 incidents on ambulances.
• The Lebanese Red Cross on October 23rd came under fire in Tyre. One rescuer was injured, and two ambulances were damaged.
• On October 25th, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that IDF killed three journalists in Southern Lebanon.
• On October 28th, at least 60 people were killed and 58 injured in airstrikes on Baalbek-Hermel and Bekaa. These airstrikes were conducted without prior evacuation orders.
Sources:
• Humanitarian Situation Update #233 | Gaza Strip
• WFP Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #37 (24 October 2024)
• UNRWA Situation Report #145 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. All information from 17-24 October 2024, is valid as of 24 October 2024 at 22:30
• Lebanon: Flash Update #39 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 28 October 2024
• Lebanon: Flash Update #38 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 24 October 2024
• 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
• OCHA Lebanon Twitter Page
• WHO Lebanon Twitter Page
• Syrian Red Crescent Twitter Page
• Committee to Protect Journalists Twitter Page
• Doctors Without Borders USA Twitter Page
Resources
ACAPS Anticipatory Note: Palestine - Anticipated impacts of the 2024−2025 winter season in Gaza (30 October 2024) (New)
UNESCO Director-General condemns killing of media workers Ghassan Najjar, Mohammad Reda and Wissam Qassem 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