The United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued a report on the gravity of the humanitarian situation facing Palestinians in Gaza.
RECAP: On 7 July 2014, the Israeli army launched a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, codenamed “Protective Edge”. The stated objective of the operation was to stop Hamas militants from firing rockets at southern Israel and to destroy the military infrastructure of Hamas and other armed groups.
On day 21 of the conflict, the OCHA report paints a picture of a calamitous humanitarian situation in the Strip.
OCHA reports that between in 24 hours between 27 and 28 July, “74 Palestinians, including 10 children and six women, are reported to have been killed, or their bodies identified”.
The number of Palestinian/Israeli fatalities, casualties and displaced persons. Credit: OCHA.
According to OCHA––
Approximately 180,000 persons, almost ten per cent of the population of Gaza, are now taking shelter in UNRWA schools, compounding overcrowding and raising health concerns.
Ten Palestinian children were reportedly killed when a missile struck a park in Beach Camp.
Mortars fired from Gaza killed four Israelis, reportedly [all] soldiers, and wounded several others in southern Israel.
Further, OCHA reports––
1,065 Palestinians killed, including at least 795 civilians, of whom 229 are [non-combatant] children and 118 are women.
6,233 Palestinians injured, including 1,949 children and 1,160 women, as of 27 July.
47 Israelis killed, including two civilians and 44 soldiers, in addition to one foreign national. 22 hospitals, clinics and medical centres hit and damaged by shelling.
215,000 displaced people hosted in UNRWA schools, government schools and informal shelters, or with host families.
Civilian targets
According to the numbers provided by OCHA, 795 of 1,065 Palestinians killed are civilians. This figure includes 229 children and 118 women. Only 178 of those killed are members of armed groups, while the status of 91 persons is yet unknown.
At an estimated 75% of the fatalities, civilians appear to be a disproportionate target of the conflict.
Moreover, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, of 6,233 reported Palestinians causalities, 1,949 are non-combatant children and 1,169 non-combatant women. Of the 6,233 reported casualties, 3118, or just over 50%, are civilians.
OCHA reports that since the start of the conflict, three civilians have been killed in Israel, including one foreign national, and a few dozen directly injured by rockets or shrapnel.
Humanitarian priorities
OCHA reports that at least 194,000 children require direct and specialized psychosocial support (PSS) after experiencing severe trauma.
A reported 215,000 people are in need of shelter-related assistance. This figure includes 3,695 families (approximately 22,200 individuals) whose homes were totally destroyed or sustained major damage to make that inhabitable; about 4235 families (25,400 individuals), whose homes sustained damage but are still inhabitable; and 24,500 families (147,000 individuals), whose homes sustained minor damage also require basic NFI assistance.
A further 215,000 internally displaced persons require emergency food assistance.
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