Little humanitarian aid has been allowed into besieged Gaza as Israeli forces continue their military campaign in response to a deadly October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel, Reuters writes today in the text "What is the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza?".
The text was originally published on November 3, and today it was supplemented with data.
United Nations (UN) agencies and the Red Cross have warned of a "humanitarian disaster" in the small enclave of 2,3 million people controlled by the Palestinian group Hamas, with worsening shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicine.
Israel, which effectively blockades Gaza, rejected the ceasefire, saying Hamas would use it to regroup, but allowed short humanitarian "pauses".
Relocation
More than 1,5 million people in the Gaza Strip are estimated to be internally displaced, including nearly 800.000 people staying in at least 154 UN shelters, the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) said.
The Israeli army called on civilians in the north of Gaza to evacuate to the south through the so-called corridor for their own safety. He says he will suspend military activities at a certain time to allow safe passage. An estimated 200.000 have done so since November 5, according to UN monitoring, raising concerns about overcrowding in the south.
Hospitals
The main hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, is surrounded by Israeli tanks.
Israel says the hospital in northern Gaza sits on top of tunnels that house the headquarters of Hamas fighters who use patients as shields. Hamas denies this.
A spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, who was at Al-Shifa Hospital, said on Monday that 32 patients had died in the previous three days, including three infants.
Israel said it was trying to coordinate incubator transfers to the site.
Around 600-650 patients, 200-500 staff members and 1.500 internally displaced persons are believed to remain at the hospital, OCHA said on Tuesday.
All but one of the hospitals in northern Gaza, the main focus of Israel's military campaign, were "reportedly" out of service since Monday due to power cuts, shelling and fighting nearby, OCHA said. Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City is reported to be the only medical facility able to receive patients, the statement said.
Aid deliveries
Aid is being delivered through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the only open border crossing, but only a fraction of the shipments are getting through compared to before the war.
An official of the UN Refugee Agency for Palestine (UNRVA) said on social media that it will not be able to receive aid arriving via Rafah on Tuesday because its trucks have run out of fuel.
Food and water
Food and water shortages, even in the better-supplied south, are worsening, with shopkeepers reporting empty shelves.
As of November 7, none of the bakeries were active, due to lack of fuel, water and wheat flour, as well as structural damage, OCHA said.
Filipe Lazarini, Commissioner General of UNRVA, said that about 39% of food needs are met.
Two water distribution contractors in southern Gaza stopped working on November 13 due to fuel shortages, leaving 200.000 people without access to drinking water, UNRVA said.
Fuel
UNRVA's fuel depot in Gaza has run dry and within days the agency will no longer be able to supply hospitals, remove sewage and provide drinking water, its chief said on Monday.
Israel has still banned the import of the fuel, which it says could be diverted to Hamas for military purposes.
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