UN: 316 Palestinians Killed By Israeli Bombardment on Sunday

On the second day after the ending of the ‘temporary pause’ in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the bombing escalated on Sunday, killing 316 Palestinians and injuring 664. One Israeli soldier was reportedly killed by Palestinian resistance fighters while invading Gaza by land.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories issued the following report:

• Heavy Israeli bombardments from air, land and sea across Gaza, as well as ground operations and fighting and firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups to Israel continue. From the afternoon of 2 December to the afternoon of 3 December, at least 316 people were killed and at least another 664 injured in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. On 3 December, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza and another succumbed to his wounds sustained in previous days.
• On 3 December, aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered from Egypt into Gaza. However, their number and content were unclear as of 23:00. Additionally, the Egyptian border was open for the evacuation of 566 foreign nationals and dual citizens, 13 injured people and 11 companions, as well as for the entry of ten humanitarian staff.
• On 3 December, the Rafah governorate was the one in Gaza where limited aid distributions, primarily of flour and water, took place. In the adjacent Khan Younis governorate, aid distribution largely stopped due to the intensity of hostilities. The Middle Area was largely disconnected from the south, following Israeli forces’ prevention of movement, including of humanitarian supplies. Access to areas north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north) from the south came to a halt following the resumption of hostilities on 1 December.
• On 3 December, the Israeli military designated an area covering about 20 per cent of Khan Younis city for immediate evacuation. The area was marked in an online map published on social media. Prior to the onset of hostilities, this area was home to nearly 117,000 people. The area also includes 21 shelters with about 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), the vast majority of whom were previously displaced from the north. Instructions accompanying the map call residents to move to Al Fukhari town, east of Khan Younis, and Ash Shaboura and Tell As Sultan neighbourhoods in Rafah, which are already overcrowded. The scope of displacement as a result of the order to evacuate is unclear.
• Under international humanitarian law, parties to a conflict must take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, civilian harm. This can entail evacuating civilians or giving effective advance warning of attacks, which provides civilians enough time to leave, as well as a safe route and place to go. All possible measures must be adopted to ensure that those civilians displaced can afford satisfactory conditions of safety, shelter, nutrition, and hygiene and ensure that family members are not separated. Civilians choosing to stay in areas designated for evacuation do not lose their protection.

Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)

• The following are among the deadliest incidents reported since 2 December afternoon:
  • On 2 December at about 14:00, a house in Al Qarara, east of Khan Yunis, was hit reportedly killing at least ten people and injuring others;
  • On 2 December, at about 21:00, several houses in Deir al Balah were hit, reportedly killing nine people and injuring 12 others;
  • On 2 December, at about 23:00, an apartment in a building in An Nuseirat, Middle Area, was hit, reportedly killing 13 people and injuring tens more;
  • On 2 December, at about 23:20, a house in Rafah was hit, reportedly killing seven people and injuring others;
  • On 3 December, at about 1:50, a house in Al Bureij camp was hit, reportedly killing seven people;
  • On 3 December, at about 10:00, six houses in Az Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza city were hit, reportedly resulting in dozens of casualties.
• According to the MoH in Gaza, between 7 October and 3 December afternoon, at least 15,523 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, about 70 per cent of whom are said to be women and children. Many more are missing, presumably under the rubble, waiting rescue or recovery.
• The fatality toll since 7 October and until the resumption of hostilities on 1 December includes at least 198 Palestinian medics, according to the Gaza MoH; 112 UN staff; 77 journalists and media workers, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate; and at least 26 Civil Defense staff, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
• Overall, 77 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.

Displacement (Gaza Strip)

• On 1 December, the Israeli military issued on social media a detailed map, where the Gaza Strip is divided into hundreds of small areas. Reportedly, the map is intended to facilitate orders to evacuate people to specific areas ahead of their targeting. On the following two days, various areas, encompassing about 28 per cent of the Gaza Strip, were marked in the map for evacuation.
• In addition to the area within Khan Younis city (see above), the largest area designated for evacuation includes localities east of Khan Younis – Al Qarara, Khuza’a, Abasan and Bani Suheila – whose residents were ordered to move further south to Rafah. These areas, encompassing 19 per cent of the Gaza Strip (69 square kilometres), were home to about 352,000 people prior to the onset of hostilities. Subsequently, thousands of IDPs arrived at Rafah governorate, increasing the strain on the humanitarian response, including on already overcrowded shelters.
• On 2 December, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of the eastern parts of Gaza city (Ash Shuja’iyeh, Az Zaytoun and the Old City) and of Jabalia, both in the north, and instructed residents to move towards the western areas of Gaza city. The designated areas constitute about six per cent of the Gaza Strip and. Prior to the hostilities, they were home to about 415,000 people, many of whom have already evacuated. The scale and scope of population movements following these orders remains unclear.
• About 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced. However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging, especially given difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families , movement of IDPs following evacuation orders since 1 December, and access restrictions.
• Nearly 1.1 million IDPs are registered in 156 UNRWA facilities across Gaza, of whom about 86 per cent (958,000) are registered in 99 UNRWA shelters in the south. Another 191,000 IDPs are estimated to be staying in 124 public schools and hospitals, as well as in other venues such as wedding halls, offices, and community centres. The rest are hosted by families.
• Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters in the south, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice. There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including hepatitis A.
• Concerns have been raised about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions. This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.

Electricity

• Since 11 October, the Gaza Strip has been under an electricity blackout, after the Israeli authorities cut off the electricity supply, and fuel reserves for Gaza’s sole power plant depleted. Depending on the availability of fuel, electricity is produced by generators, as well as by solar panels.

For more information on electricity supply to the Gaza strip, please see this dashboard.

Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)

• On 2 December, Al Awda Hospital in An Nuseirat (Middle Area) announced that it has exhausted its fuel stock to run generators and ambulances, risking its complete shut down if no additional fuel is provided. This hospital is the main provider of maternity services in the Middle Area.
• On 2 December, the MoH in Gaza stated that the bed occupancy rate at operational hospitals stands well over capacity, at 171 per cent, while at the intensive care units the occupancy rate is up to 221 per cent. The establishment of triage extensions at several hospitals, to support the admission and referral of patients is in progress.
• On 1 December, UNRWA reported a Hepatitis A outbreak in one of its shelters.
• Four hospitals in the north are partially operating and admitting patients, with only limited services. Another two are providing dialysis services for kidney patients only. None of these six hospitals have surgery capacity.
• The 12 hospitals in the south are partially functional. At present, the bed capacity across Gaza is 1,400, down from 3,500 prior to the hostilities. This decline comes amid a surge in those seeking treatment. Only one of the currently functional hospitals has the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgery, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)

• Grave concerns about waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources persist, particularly in the north where the water desalination plant and the pipeline from Israel was shut down. There has been almost no improvement in the access of residents in the north to water for drinking and domestic purposes for weeks.
• In the south, UNRWA continues to operate eight water wells that provide potable and domestic water to IDP shelters, alongside water trucking operations. Over the past few weeks, solid waste collection from the camps, and emergency shelters and transfer to landfills have also continued to reduce the level of health and environmental risks.

Hostilities and casualties (Israel)

• The indiscriminate rocket fire by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza towards Israel continued on 3 December; no casualties were reported. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed in Israel, according to the Israeli authorities, the vast majority on 7 October.
• During the humanitarian pause (24-30 November), 86 Israeli and 24 foreign national hostages had been released. It is estimated that about 137 people remain captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to Israeli sources. Before the pause, four civilian hostages had been released by Hamas, one Israeli soldier had been rescued by Israeli forces, and three bodies of hostages had reportedly been retrieved by Israeli forces.

Violence and casualties (in and around the West Bank)

• On 2 December, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by either Israeli forces or settlers, and three others were injured during a settler attack in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan (Salfit). Armed Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, reached the outskirts of the village, where they threw stones, Molotov cocktails and opened fired at Palestinian homes, one of which was set on fire and others damaged.
• On 3 December, Israeli forces carried out an operation in Qalqiliya city, where exchange of fire took place between them and Palestinians: a Palestinian man, reportedly a bystander, was shot in the back by Israeli forces and killed.
• Since 7 October, 244 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Additionally, two Palestinians from the West Bank have been killed while carrying out an attack in Israel on 30 November. Of those killed in the West Bank, 234 have been killed by Israeli forces, eight by Israeli settlers and another two have been killed either by forces or settlers. The eight-week toll represents more than half of all Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year. Already, 2023 is the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since OCHA began recording casualties in 2005.
• Since 7 October, four Israelis, including three members of Israeli forces, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. An additional four were killed in West Jerusalem in an attack perpetrated by Palestinians (one of whom was killed by Israeli forces who misidentified him).
• Two-thirds of the Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank since 7 October have occurred during search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces, including some – mainly in Jenin and Tulkarm governorates – involving exchanges of fire with Palestinians. More than half of the fatalities were reported in operations that did not involve armed clashes.
• Since 7 October, Israeli forces have injured 3,279 Palestinians, including at least 520 children; 45 per cent of them in the context of demonstrations and 46 per cent in the context of search-and-arrest and other operations. An additional 82 Palestinians have been injured by settlers and 18 others either by Israeli forces or settlers. Some 33 per cent of those injuries have been caused with live ammunition, compared with 9 per cent in the first nine months of 2023.
• In addition to the settler attack in Qarawat Bani Hassan (see above), three settler attacks took place on 2 December, resulting in damage to Palestinian-owned property. In one of the incidents, settlers accompanied by Israeli forces threw stones at Palestinian homes and vehicles in Madama village (Nablus), damaging at least two vehicles and one home, and setting fire to another vehicle. In Yassuf village (Salfit), Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian families picking their olives, opened fire, threw stones at Palestinian-plated vehicles and vandalized four vehicles. In Qusra village (Nablus) Israeli settlers physically assaulted three farmers and reportedly vandalized 50 olive trees.
• Since 7 October, OCHA has recorded 308 settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (33 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (233 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (41 incidents). The weekly average of such incidents during this period stands at 39, compared with 21 incidents between 1 January and 6 October 2023. However, the number of incidents since 7 October has gradually declined from 80 incidents in the first week (7-14 October) to 18 incidents in the last (27 November – 3 December). One-third of these incidents included threats with firearms, including shootings. In nearly half of all recorded incidents, Israeli forces were either accompanying or actively supporting the attackers.