On 30 November, the humanitarian pause entered its seventh consecutive day. It has enabled a major increase in the delivery of basic supplies into and across Gaza, primarily by the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies and UN agencies. However, as stressed by the UN Secretary-General on 29 November, the level of aid remains completely inadequate to meet the needs.
Aid convoys to areas to the north of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the north), which prior to the pause have received almost no supplies, continued on 30 November. Since the start of the pause until 29 November, approximately 4,850 metric tons (MT) of food, (primarily wheat flour, rice and canned food), 1,700 MT of blankets and mattresses, 1,110 MT of bottled water, 148 MT of medical supplies and 29,500 litres of fuel were delivered to UNRWA shelters, hospitals and warehouses in the north. About 88 per cent of this assistance was delivered by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), in coordination with the UN, and the remainder by UN agencies.
South of Wadi Gaza (hereafter: the south), where most internally displaced persons (IDPs) are staying, enhanced aid distribution, including fuel to hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, and shelters, also continued on 30 November. Between 24 and 29 November, 630 MT of wheat flour were distributed to 224,000 people in the south, along with 63,000 blankets and mattresses. Cooking gas has been entering daily from Egypt during this period and has been available in the market at one distribution centre in the south, albeit in quantities well below the demand.
On 29 November, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated his concern about the high risk of infectious diseases in IDP shelters, attributing this to severe overcrowding and the disruption of health, water, and sanitation systems. He noted that more than 111,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, 36,000 cases of diarrhoea in children below five, and 24,000 cases of skin rash had been recorded since the start of the crisis.
On 30 November, eight Israelis held as hostages in Gaza, and 30 Palestinian detainees, held in Israeli prisons, were released. The freed hostages comprised six women, one girl and one man. Among the Palestinian detainees were seven women and 23 children. Since the start of the pause, 240 Palestinians, 86 Israelis, and 24 foreign nationals have reportedly been released.
Hostilities and casualties (Gaza Strip)
While the humanitarian pause that started on 24 November has largely held, sporadic incidents have been reported. On 29 November, at about 18:00, Israeli troops reportedly opened fire at Palestinians in northern Gaza city, killing two of them; the circumstances remain unclear. On 30 November, additional shooting incidents were reported in Gaza city, as well as shelling by the Israeli navy towards the Gaza shore in the south, none of which resulted in casualties.
According to the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza, since the start of hostilities, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including about 6,150 children and 4,000 women. The GMO, which is under the de facto authorities in Gaza, has been reporting casualties since the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza stopped doing so on 11 November, following the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north.
The fatality toll since 7 October includes at least 198 Palestinian medics, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health; 112 UN staff; 70 journalists and media workers, according to the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate; and at least 15 Civil Defense staff, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Overall, 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli ground operations, according to official Israeli sources.
Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update
Critical supplies being prepared for shipment into Gaza. Photo by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society
