24
hour reports by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
Due to
the dramatic escalation in violence over the past few days and the
massive assault on Gaza, UNRWA has declared an emergency in all five
areas of the Gaza Strip. It is closely monitoring the situation and
stands ready to mount an emergency response should that become
necessary. The priority for the Agency has now shifted to emergency
operations, providing assistance to those who have been displaced and
sought shelter in UNRWA schools, while attempting to continue regular
operations. Urgent funding needs persist and are increasing
Key
parts:
“According
to the Protection Cluster, 83 Palestinians
have been killed during this reporting period, including twelve women
and nine children. The total number of Palestinian deaths reported by
the Protection Cluster currently stands at 839 and the
number of wounded, as reported by the Ministry of Health has reached
5,345. The number of displaced people is now triple the peak number
from the 2008/9 conflict, and exceeds 150,137 in 84 schools.”
“The
past 24 hours has seen an appalling attack on an UNRWA school
operating as a designated emergency shelter. On
23 July, Beit Hanoun Elementary Co-ed A and D School was hit by
explosive projectiles causing multiple injuries and fatalities to
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge there.
With the security situation in Beit Hanoun deteriorating rapidly
during the course of the day, UNRWA had been attempting to
negotiate with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) a pause in the
fighting during which they would guarantee a safe corridor to
relocate staff and any displaced person who chose to evacuate to a
more secure location. Approval for that never came to UNRWA. The
school’s coordinates had been formally conveyed to the Israeli
authorities on twelve occasions.”
“UNRWA
shelters provide refuge to civilians displaced by conflict in a
context where people have nowhere else to go. Movement of people
to and from Gaza remains virtually banned. For most Gazans, UNRWA
shelters represent the only safe place in Gaza, and the deplorable
attacks of the last few days place even this in jeopardy.”
“Levels
of displacement in Gaza continue to grow, with the number of IDPs
taking refuge in UNRWA shelters today passing 150,000. In some
shelters, more than 80 people are sharing one classroom, placing
great pressure on UNRWA resources and adding even more stress to
already traumatized families. On 24 July UNRWA opened the last
available school in Khan Younis as a designated emergency shelter.
All available schools in Gaza and North Areas are already operating
as shelters and are at capacity. The level of displacement
currently being seen in Gaza is staggering, with numbers of IDPs in
UNRWA shelters now triple the peak number from the 2008/09 conflict.”
“UNRWA
is facing particular challenges in northern areas of the Gaza Strip
and in Bureij and Maghazi, due to the expanded Israeli- imposed
‘buffer zone’ and high levels of insecurity.”
“Reportedly
there were 102 rockets and 46 mortar shells fired towards Israel.
There were also reports that 127 missiles were fired into Gaza in
addition to 45 navy shells and 740 tank shells. Reportedly, 35 houses
were bombarded.”
“A
total of 92 UNRWA installations have been damaged since 1 June, 2014,
many of them on multiple occasions. In the past 24 hours, five UNRWA
installations were damaged, including three schools, a sanitation
office and a maintenance office.”
Full
Report:
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