On 15 December, an airstrike struck a school sheltering Internally Displaced People (IDPs), in Khan Yunis, reportedly killing 12 Palestinians, and injuring dozens of others. Since 7 October, at least 288 IDPs sheltering in UNRWA shelters have been killed and at least 998 injured, according to UNRWA. A total of 342 school buildings have sustained damage (about 70 per cent of all school buildings in Gaza). Seventy of the schools damaged are UNRWA schools, with at least 56 serving as shelters for IDPs. Several schools, including UNRWA schools, have been directly hit by Israeli airstrikes or tank shells.
A new World Food Programme (WFP) rapid food security assessment reveals alarming trends in the food security situation in southern Gaza, with 44 per cent of assessed households facing very severe hunger. This is an increase from the 24 per cent recorded in the previous assessment undertaken during the humanitarian pause (24-30 November).
Obtaining an accurate total of the IDPs remains challenging, but as of 12 December, according to UNRWA, almost 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced, including people who have been displaced multiple times.
read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #70
“These are all our memories, our entire lives. For over 50 years, we have been living here .... Now it's all gone; everything has turned into ashes.” Screenshot from a video by UNRWA