UN: 256 Palestinians Killed Thursday, Total 9,061 Since 10/7

According to a report put out on November 2nd by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (the West Bank and Gaza, the two segments left to the Palestinians from historic pre-1948 Palestine):

• On 2 November, also in the Jabalia Refugee Camp, an UNRWA school sheltering thousands of IDPs was hit; as a result, at least 20 people were reportedly killed and five were injured. Another UNRWA shelter at Beach Refugee Camp, also in northern Gaza, was hit, with one child reportedly killed. In the Al Bureij Refugee Camp, south of Wadi Gaza, two UNRWA shelters were hit, reportedly killing two people and injuring over thirty.
• Since 7 October, 9,061 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 3,760 children and 2,326 women, and about 22,911 have been injured, according to the MoH in Gaza.
• Israeli ground operations in northern Gaza and Gaza city, alongside intense bombardments, continued. Between 1 November (noon) and 2 November (14:00), 256 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, bringing the reported fatality toll since the start of the hostilities to 9,061, of whom about two-thirds are children and women, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. On 2 November, two Israeli soldiers were reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 17.
• On 2 November, the MoH reported that the main electricity generator of the Indonesian Hospital, in northern Gaza, had ceased to operate due to lack of fuel. This hospital has been receiving hundreds of people injured during the recent hostilities in Jabalia camp. Exposing hundreds of patients with serious injuries to imminent risk of death or lifelong disabilities. Shifa Hospital in Gaza city is reportedly almost out of fuel. Since the start of hostilities, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities are not functioning and 51 (71 per cent) of all primary care facilities across Gaza (72) are not functioning due to damage or lack of fuel.
• On 2 November, 102 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. This is the largest convoy since delivery of aid resumed on 21 October, bringing the total number of trucks that entered to 374 The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities. Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed. The available aid remains insufficient to cover people’s basic needs.
• As of 2 November, nearly 1.5 million people in Gaza were internally displaced, with over 690,400 sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities. In recent days, tens of thousands of IDPs, who were previously staying with host families, have relocated into public shelters, seeking food and basic services. This has increased pressure on already overcrowded shelters. The average number of IDPs per UNRWA shelter is nearly four times their intended capacity.
• On 2 November, four UNRWA shelters hosting nearly 20,000 IDPs were hit; as a result, at least 23 people were killed, and dozens were injured. Since the start of hostilities, nearly 50 UNRWA facilities have been damaged and 72 staff have been killed.
• The operation of water wells and desalination plants in the southern half of Gaza stopped almost completely on 2 November, after their fuel reserves had been exhausted. Only one of three water pipelines supplying water from Israel is active. There is not enough clarity on access of people to water in northern Gaza.
• Indiscriminate rocket firing by Palestinian armed groups towards Israeli population centres continued over the past 24 hours, with no fatalities reported. Overall, about 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• According to the Israeli authorities, 242 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicate that about 30 of the hostages are children. So far, four civilian hostages were released by Hamas, and one female Israeli soldier was rescued by Israeli forces. On 1 November, Hamas claimed that seven hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Jabalia Refugee Camp. This follows their earlier claim that another 50 hostages had been killed in similar circumstances.
• In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including one child, and another one died from wounds sustained previously, between the afternoon of 1 November and noontime on 2 November. An Israeli settler was killed in a drive-by shooting attack near Tulkarm, reportedly by Palestinians. The total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October has reached 132, including 41 children, alongside two Israelis killed by Palestinians.
• Between 1 and 2 November, Israeli forces arrested at least 135 Palestinians, including two women, across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, bringing the total number of those arrested since 7 October to at least 1,900, according to Palestinian sources. UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has received consistent and credible reports of widespread cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees. Two Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody since 7 October.
• For the second consecutive day, on 2 November, the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened for the evacuation of about 60 wounded Palestinians to an Egyptian field hospital, alongside some 400 foreign passport holders. The Erez crossing with Israel remains closed.

Gaza Humanitarian Overview

Hostilities and Casualties

According to the Israeli military, infantry and armoured forces continued their ground operations in and around Gaza city and northern Gaza, amid intense clashes with Palestinian armed groups. Heavy shelling and airstrikes continued, primarily in the northern area.

At least 195 Palestinian were killed and about 800 injured in less than 24 hours between 31 October and 1 November, in two rounds of Israeli airstrikes on Jabalia Refugee Camp, in northern Gaza, according to the MoH in Gaza. Some 120 people were believed to be trapped under the rubble by midnight on 1 November. The Israeli military stated that the two attacks had targeted buildings where members of armed groups, including a senior Hamas commander, were hiding. OHCHR has expressed serious concerns about these attacks.

Rescue teams, primarily from the Palestinian Civil Defense, are struggling to carry out their missions, amid continuous airstrikes, severe shortage of fuel to run vehicles and equipment. This is particularly concerning as thousands are estimated to be trapped under rubble. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that, due to the lack of fuel, it had been forced to reduce the number of ambulances it operates.

According to the MoH in Gaza, over two thirds of the fatalities were killed in their homes. Relatedly, as of 26 October, a total of 192 Palestinian families had lost ten or more of their members, 136 Palestinian families had lost six to nine members, and 444 families had lost two to five of their members, the Ministry says.

As of 2 November, 246 school buildings have been hit, including one destroyed and  51 severely damaged.

On 31 October, the Committee to Protect Journalists indicated that 31 journalists had been killed thus far since the start of the hostilities, including 26 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.

According to Israeli sources, at least 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, and at least 5,400 have been injured, the vast majority on 7 October. Since Israeli forces began their ground assault, 17 Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed in Gaza. Israeli media reported that, as of 31 October, the names of 1,159 of these fatalities have been released, including 828 civilians and police, and 331 soldiers. Of those whose ages have been provided, 31 are children.

Displacement

The cumulative number of IDPs since the start of hostilities in Gaza is estimated neatly 1.5 million. This figure includes nearly 690,400 people staying in 149 UNRWA facilities, 121,750 sheltering in hospitals, churches, and other public buildings, and about 99,150 in 82 non-UNRWA schools. The remaining 550,000-600,000 IDPs are residing with host families, with as many as 150,000 having relocated to shelters in the past few days, seeking food and basic services.

An estimated 160,000 IDPs are housed in 57 UNRWA facilities in the north and in Gaza city. UNRWA, however, is no longer able to provide services in those areas and does not have accurate information on their needs and conditions since the evacuation order from the Israeli authorities on 13 October.

The average number of IDPs per shelter in UNRWA facilities has reached almost four times their intended capacity. This means that, in some shelters, up to 240 people are living in a classroom of about 40 to 60 square metres. The Khan Younis Training Centre is currently the most crowded shelter, hosting 22,100 IDPs, more than ten times its capacity.

Poor sanitation conditions and consumption of unsafe water among displaced people raise serious concerns about potential public health risks; reports indicate increasing cases of upper respiratory infections, and skin and diarrheal diseases among IDPs.

Over 15 per cent of the IDPs are estimated to have disabilities, yet most shelters are not adequately equipped for their needs. Shelters lack the required medical mattresses and beds, causing ulcers for people unable to move and other medical issues that cannot be treated in unsterilized conditions. In recent days, UNRWA, in cooperation with the ‘Humanity and Inclusion’ NGO, has provided 2,600 persons with disabilities, injured people, children and the elderly with hygiene kits, assistive devices, eyeglasses, first aid kits and baby kits.

In Israel, hundreds of thousands of people residing near the Gaza Strip, as well as along the border with Lebanon, have fled or been evacuated, with the Israeli authorities providing for the needs of these IDPs (this report focuses on the humanitarian situation in Gaza).

Basic services and livelihoods

Electricity

Since 11 October, Gaza has been under a full electricity blackout, following Israel’s halt of its electricity and fuel supply to Gaza, which in turn triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant. This has forced essential service infrastructure to rely on backup generators, which are limited by the scarcity of fuel in the Strip. Goods entering Gaza since 21 October through the Rafah crossing have not included fuel.

Health care

Following the shutdown of services due to lack of fuel and electricity in the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship hospital, the MoH in Gaza stated that Shifa Hospital in Gaza city and the Indonesian Hospital, in Beit Lahiya, were almost out of fuel, and appealed to the international community and locals in assisting with providing fuel. They warned that 42 children under life support devices, 62 wounded using respiration equipment and 650 patients with kidney failure were at the highest risk, should the electricity cut off.

Currently, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities are not functioning, in addition to two outpatient specialist centres. Additionally, 51 (71 per cent) of all primary care facilities across Gaza (72) are not functioning, including 74 per cent of those located in Gaza city and 92 per cent of those in northern Gaza.

Nine UNRWA health centres are still operational in the South and recorded 4,400 patient visits on 31 October, including refugees and non-refugees. Healthcare services in UNRWA shelters were maintained with the support of 92 mobile medical units and medical teams, serving 9,800 patients at shelters on 31 October.

All operating hospitals and clinics are affected by severe fuel shortages, leading to stringent rationing and limited use of generators for only the most essential functions. Moreover, maintaining and repairing backup generators, originally not intended for continuous operation, is growing increasingly challenging due to the scarcity of spare parts.

Health partners have documented an increase in cases of skin and diarrheal diseases among IDPs in shelters due to the inadequate access to water and sanitation services. Upper respiratory infections are also on the rise due to the overcrowding and poor living conditions within the shelters, especially as the temperatures have started to drop.

The ongoing hostilities have displaced most of the medical professionals in Gaza, forcing the hospitals to operate with less than one-third of their normal staffing levels, according to MoH in Gaza.

Of the 102 trucks that entered Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 2 November, at least 25 carried medical supplies. Overall, at least 103 out of the 374 trucks that have entered since 21 October, carried medical supplies.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)

Some 120 public wells and one desalination plant in the Middle and southern area of the Gaza Strip reportedly shut down on 2 November, after depleting their fuel reserves. The other desalination plant that was active reduced its production to a minimum level and is providing only for water trucking distribution. The last fuel delivery to these facilities by UNRWA and UNICEF took place on 29 October.

Only one out of the three water supply lines from Israel, servicing the Middle Area, is currently operational providing some 500 cubic metres of drinking water per hour to Nuseirat, Bureij, Maghazi, and Zawaida areas. Supply from Israel to western Khan Younis, which stopped on 30 October for unclear reasons, was not restored. This line previously supplied 600 cubic metres of drinking water per hour. The third pipeline from Israel to northern Gaza remains also closed since 8 October.

As a result, WASH partners estimate that water consumption has dropped from 25 to only five liters per day per capita. Except for some households in the Middle Area connected to the network, most people rely on water trucking and bottled water provided as assistance.

On 2 November, three trucks out of the aid convoy carried about 100,000 litres of water, which will cover the drinking water needs for some 20,000 people for one day and is set to be distributed among the IDP centres in the south of Gaza. Overall, out of the 374 trucks that have entered Gaza since 21 October, at least 26 carried drinking water (jerrycans and bottles), water tanks, water purification equipment, and hygiene kits.

Food security

Of the trucks that entered Gaza on 2 November through Rafah, 54 carried food items, including ready-to-eat options like canned tuna, canned meat, and other non-perishables. In total, out of the trucks that have entered since 21 October, more than 150 have transported food.

These food supplies are primarily distributed to IDPs and host families, with only flour being provided to bakeries. Food assistance covers about 10 per cent of the minimum caloric intake requirement, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

WFP estimates that current stocks of essential food commodities in the market are sufficient for about seven more days. However, at the shop level, the available stock is expected to last for five days. Retailers are facing significant challenges when restocking from wholesalers due to widespread destruction and lack of security.

As of 2 November, only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP and eight local bakeries in the southern and Middle areas have been intermittently providing bread to shelters and IDPs, depending on the daily availability of flour. UNRWA has been supplying flour to these local bakeries to offer bread at half the cost. However, UNRWA reports that the available wheat stocks will only last for another five to six days before being depleted. The shortage of fuel is the primary obstacle preventing these bakeries from meeting local demand, and there is also a shortage of clean water required for utilizing the available flour in bread production, further hindering bakery operations.

Eleven bakeries have been struck and destroyed since 7 October (six in Gaza city, two in Jabalia, two in the Middle Area and one in Khan Younis). As a result, people are struggling to obtain bread. Hours-long queues are reported in front of bakeries, where people are exposed to airstrikes.

Telecommunications

After being cut at around 03:00 on 1 November, Gaza’s telecommunication and internet services were gradually restored after almost nine hours of blackout. Ambulances and Civil Defense teams were unable to locate the injured, as thousands of people were estimated to be still under the rubble. Civilians were unable to receive updated information on where they can access humanitarian relief and where they may move to be in lesser danger.

Since the escalation of hostilities, the Gaza Strip has experienced a significant reduction in internet access. Sixty per cent of electric boxes and remote switches are out of service, 65 per cent of households and businesses have lost access to the network and 36 per cent of local fiber routes have been lost due to fiber cuts affecting both fixed and mobile networks. Almost half of local networks were damaged as well, which includes street poles, cables, and fiber trenches.

The mobile company Jawwal, which serves over 85 per cent of Gaza’s residents, has lost 65 per cent of its radio sites.

Humanitarian operations

All humanitarian agencies and personnel have faced significant constraints in providing humanitarian assistance, due to ongoing hostilities, movement restrictions and shortages of electricity, fuel, water, medicines, and other essential items. Humanitarian partners cannot safely access people in need and warehouses where aid supplies are stored.

Additionally, the dramatic shutdown in internet connectivity has hindered efforts to monitor, document and report, including possible violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Despite these challenges, humanitarian actors are working around the clock to support the most vulnerable. The major operation entails the hosting of IDPs in UNRWA schools, where basic food, medicine and support is provided to retain dignity and a glimmer of hope. Other interventions include the distribution of food and cash assistance to IDPs and emergency fuel to WASH facilities, psychosocial support helplines, and a mass media campaign to raise awareness about the risks of unexploded ordnance (for further detail, see Humanitarian Needs and Responses).