Israel/Hamas War Situation Report #83

Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
Dec 31
4 min read

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· Airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continue to be reported across the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties.

· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remains deployed in over 50% of the Gaza Strip, beyond the “Yellow Line” which remains largely unmarked on the ground and where access to humanitarian facilities and assets, public infrastructure and agricultural land are either restricted or prohibited.

· The IDF has reported the following activities:

o As of December 14^th, the IDF reported that Hamas has violated the ceasefire agreement more than 1,900 times.

o The IDF on December 25^th killed two terrorists, they were:

ü Hussein Mahmoud Marshad al-Jawhari

ü Al-Jawhari

o IDF operations have been completed in Southern Syria on December 28^th.

Gaza Strip Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that as of December 18^th, over a million people are in urgent need of emergency shelter assistance.

· Between December 17-29, 86 humanitarian missions were coordinated with Israeli authorities:

o 46 were successfully facilitated.

o 22 were impeded, and five were denied.

o 13 missions were cancelled by the requesting organizations due to operational, logistical or security reasons.

· On December 30th, the Israeli authorities announced that they plan to suspend the operation of some International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO):

o Dozens of INGOs will be de-registered as of December 31^st followed by forced closure of operations within 60 days.

o This will have a serious impact of relief operations:

ü Healthcare and Public Health:

Ø Of the 80 active health partners, 44 are INGOs.

Ø These INGOs run or support 60% of field hospitals and support 42% of primary healthcare centers.

ü Food Security: Of 195 cooked-meal provision points, 132 (68%) depend directly on INGOs for staffing, supplies or operations.

ü Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs): INGOs implemented 74% of all shelter and NFI activities and delivered 83% of NFI items.

ü Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): INGOs constitute 62% of WASH partners and deliver 42% of all WASH services in Gaza.

ü Nutrition: INGOs account for 65% of Nutrition Cluster partners and operate the majority of service delivery points.

· Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continue to struggle in flooded makeshift tents or damaged buildings at risk of collapse, while winter storms are heightening the risk of cold-related illnesses and preventable deaths, particularly among children under five:

o In December at least 17 people have died due to the collapse of damaged buildings and three children died of hypothermia.

o Severe storm conditions have affected nearly 55,000 households, and the evacuation of 370 families from shoreline sites.

o According to the Shelter Cluster, since December 10th, 17 buildings are estimated to have collapsed and more than 42,000 tents or makeshift shelters are estimated to have sustained full or partial damage, particularly in 320 displacement sites and 43 areas, affecting at least 235,000 people.

o As of December 31^st, the UN and its partners are supporting 80,000 households with significant shelter support. However, many families are still struggling in weather-damaged makeshift tents.

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o Only 50% of Gaza's health facilities are partially functional and they face shortages of essential supplies and equipment, which are often subject to complex entry procedures and restrictions with many classified as potentially dual-use.

o On December 4^th, WHO has opened a newly renovated acute male ward at the Bethlehem Psychiatric Hospital.

o As of December 19^th, over 10,600 patients from Gaza with severe health conditions, including over 5,600 children have been evacuated.

· Food Security Update:

o The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis was released on December 19^th:

ü The entire population continues to face Emergency-level (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity, with needs remaining extreme.

ü The UN Secretary-General stated that while famine conditions in Gaza have been pushed back and access to food has improved for many people, these gains remain fragile.

o Despite severe access constraints, the World Food Programme (WFP) sustained delivery of food assistance has continued to achieve measurable improvements in Gaza’s food security.

o WFP was able to restore rations to 75%, after a temporary reduction to 50% earlier in the reporting period, by prioritizing additional wheat flour to help meet basic household food needs.

o On December 21^st the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that over 100,000 children and 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are still projected to suffer acute malnutrition through April 2026.