Israel/Hamas War Situation Report #88

Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
21 minutes ago
5 min read

Military and Diplomatic Highlights:

· The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on May 13^th killed Hamza Sharabasi, who was a commander in Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion in northern Gaza. He participated in the October 7^th attack.

Gaza and West Bank Humanitarian Assistance Highlights:

· The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on April 16^th delivered 16 ambulances to strength their emergency medical response efforts in Gaza and the West Bank.

· Living conditions in Gaza remain dire, with most people displaced and exposed to continued health and environmental risks, while reports of attacks hitting residential areas continue.

· Only one in every two aid trucks from Egypt could offload at Israeli-controlled crossings along Gaza’s perimeter in the first 11 days of May. Despite the constraints, humanitarian partners are helping people in Gaza restore bread production and strengthen early market recovery.

· While the reopening of the Zikim crossing in the north of Gaza has improved the flow of goods, limitations and congestion continue to constrain cargo volumes.

· Healthcare and Public Health Update:

o Over 43,000 people in Gaza have sustained life‑changing injuries, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, while rehabilitation services remain overstretched:

ü As of May 8^th, WHO is strengthening physical rehabilitation capacity in Gaza. As part of this effort, WHO has supported the deployment of a specialized international Emergency Medical Teams at Al-Shifa Hospital.

o The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) medical surveillance teams continue to report concerning increases in skin diseases (scabies and chickenpox):

ü Documented cases tripled between January and March, with hotspots identified in the Mawasi–Khan Younis area.

ü Widespread rodent and parasite infestations, including scabies and fleas, continue to be reported across displacement sites, driven by severe overcrowding, disrupted water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, and poor environmental conditions.

ü On April 28^th a WHO rapid assessment across more than 1,600 sites found that 80% have frequent, visible rodent and pest presence, affecting 1.45 million people.

o On April 30^th, WHO supported the establishment of a new primary health care clinic in northern Gaza:

ü The clinic will deliver essential health services (noncommunicable disease management, maternal and child health services, routine vaccination, wound care, and basic physical rehabilitation).

o WHO on April 30^th supported the delivery of essential medicines to 24 health facilities, keeping lifesaving health services running across emergency and surgical care, intensive care, oncology, infectious disease management, cardiovascular care, and other noncommunicable disease services.

o As of May 7^th, MSF recorded at the four health centers operated or supported by them that between late 2024 and early 2026 there were higher levels of recorded prematurity and mortality among infants born to mothers affected by malnutrition during their pregnancy, high levels of miscarriage, and observed sharp increases in treatment interruption among malnourished children:

ü MSF has linked these to Israel’s blockade of essential goods and attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities. Insecurity, displacement, restrictions on aid, and limited access to food and medical care.

· Food Security Update:

o In April 2026, humanitarian and commercial inflows into Gaza remain below the needs of the population, impacting food security and limiting progress in household consumption, with one in five families still surviving on only one meal per day.

o The lack of access to fuel, spare parts, engine oil and other critical supplies is stifling commercial recovery.

o On May 14^th, World Central Kitchen (WCK) reported that they will be forced to scale back to the number of meals they delivered before the ceasefire in October 2025:

ü It does not reflect any reduction in need on the ground.

ü Since the start of the conflict in 2023, WCK has invested more than half a billion dollars feeding the people of Gaza.

ü Late last year, in direct response to the collapse in food access triggered by the border closure, they surged their operations to one million hot meals a day. Sustaining that level of output is not something any single non-government organization can do indefinitely.

· The Doctors without Borders (MSF) has reported that severe water shortages in Gaza have been driven by extensive damage to water and sanitation infrastructure and sustained restrictions on fuel, electricity, and water-related supplies, which are essential for systems to operate:

o Nearly 90% of water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged, significantly limiting access to safe water for the population and increasing risks of disease amid overcrowded and deteriorating living conditions.

o Around 80% of Gaza’s population currently relies on water trucking for their drinking water.

Cultural Heritage Protection Highlights:

· As of April 7^th, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that 164 cultural heritage sites in Gaza have been damaged:

o UNESCO and the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, is carrying out stabilization and debris management in the Old City of Gaza:

ü The initiative focuses on emergency stabilization, debris removal and the preservation of architectural elements.

ü Five heritage sites have been stabilized which generated 1,850 working days for 30 local workers.

ü Seven additional sites are currently undergoing stabilization.

o UNESCO continues to monitor damage to cultural heritage sites through satellite analysis.

Violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Highlights:

Gaza

· Since the start of the ceasefire, MSF reported that more than 800 people have been killed and 2,000 people injured.

West Bank

· The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) reported that between April 28^th and May 4^th, the IDF has shot and killed three Palestinians. During the same period, about 70 Palestinians were injured by the IDF or Israeli settlers.

Sources:

· oPt: Humanitarian Situation Report | 15 May 2026

· WFP Palestine Emergency Response External Situation Report #88, 11 May 2026 (Reporting period: 1-30 April 2026)

· UNRWA Situation Report #219 on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem)

· Israeli Defense Forces Twitter Page

· Palestine Red Crescent Society Twitter Page

· OCHA Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· WHO Occupied Territories Twitter Page

· UNRWA Twitter Page

· Doctors without Borders Twitter Page

· World Central Kitchen Twitter Page

· UNESCO Twitter Page

Resources:

Reported impact snapshot | Gaza Strip (13 May 2026) at 15:00 (New)

https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-13-may-2026-1500

Movement and Access in the West Bank | April 2026 (New)