Facts for Which Canada Must Take Responsibility
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the main humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over two million people now dependent on its services and some 3,000 out of its 13,000 staff in Gaza continuing to report to work, despite the ongoing hostilities. Already a total of 152 UNRWA employees have died as a result of Israeli bombardment and ground assaults on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
On January 27, UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillippe Lazzarini warned of the threat to the agency's ongoing humanitarian work, especially in Gaza, following the decision of a number of donor countries to temporarily suspend their funding. Already UNRWA responded to the Israeli allegations by terminating the contracts of nine of the accused and it activated an investigation by the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).
"It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region," the Commissioner-General stated.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also strongly appealed to the governments that have suspended their contributions "to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations." The Secretary-General said that the "abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences" but "the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA (across the region), many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."
On January 28, Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, stated: "The people of Gaza have been enduring unthinkable horrors and deprivation for months. Their needs have never been higher – and our humanitarian capacity to assist them has never been under such threat. We need to be at full stretch to give the people of Gaza a moment of hope."
The Situation Report issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs points out:
In the second half of January, humanitarian partners continue to observe a declining trend in their attempts to access the northern and central areas of Gaza. The reasons include excessive delays for humanitarian aid convoys before or at Israeli checkpoints and heightened military activity in central Gaza. Threats to the safety of humanitarian personnel and sites are also frequent, impeding not only the delivery of time-sensitive and life-saving aid but also posing serious risks to those involved in humanitarian efforts.
As of 25 January, according to the WHO [World Health Organization], only 14 of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional; seven in the north and seven in the south. 'Partial functionality' indicates that a hospital is accessible by people in need of health care; it can admit some new patients and can undertake some level of surgery. In addition, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis is, 'minimally functioning,' providing available services to patients in its care, but no longer able to receive patients or supplies, as it is surrounded by the Israeli military and experiencing intense fighting. Al Kheir Hospital in Khan Yunis, which was previously designated as 'minimally functioning,' and one of only three in the Gaza Strip that provides maternity services, is no longer operational, with reports of patients, who had just undergone critical operations, having to flee the facility.
On 26 January, Médecins Sans Frontičres reported that Nasser hospital could no longer provide vital medical services, leaving many wounded patients with no options for treatment amid ongoing heavy fighting and bombing. The hospital's surgical capacity is almost non-existent, and the handful of medical staff remaining in the hospital are trying to manage with very low supplies insufficient to handle the large influx of wounded people. Between 300 and 350 patients with war-related injuries remain at the hospital, unable to evacuate due to the danger and the lack of ambulances. On January 24, at least one patient at the hospital died because there was no orthopaedic surgeon available. Shelling in the vicinity of the hospital was reported again on 27 January.
On 27 January, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces were continuing to bombard the vicinity of the Al Amal Hospital and the PRCS branch headquarters in Khan Yunis, jeopardizing the safety of medical staff, the wounded, patients, and the approximately 7,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had sought refuge there. The PRCS stated that dozens had been killed and injured inside, and in the vicinity of the two facilities amid ongoing fighting over the previous four weeks. The continuing siege of the facilities is hindering the movement of ambulances and emergency medical teams in the city, and preventing medical teams from reaching the injured and transporting them to the hospital for necessary medical care. The PRCS denied claims by Israeli forces of the presence of armed individuals inside the hospital building and appealed to the international community and partners in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to intervene to protect the hospital, the medical teams, the wounded, patients, and IDPs [International Displaced persons]. On the morning of 28 January, shells were reportedly fired towards the vicinity of the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, with casualties reported, amid intense fighting in the area.
On 26 January, the head of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said that the people displaced who reached Rafah are resorting to living in the street, with sewage running in the streets and conditions of desperation conducive to a complete breakdown in order. An overspilling of violence in Rafah would have severe implications for the more than 1.3 million people who are already crowded into the city. Heavy rainfall has aggravated the humanitarian situation in tent encampments where IDPs have sought shelter, with UNRWA reporting that an unknown number of tents of displaced people in Rafah were flooded and that "thousands of families sleeping on the floor are now freezing and unable to keep dry."
As of 26 January, according to UNRWA, there are an estimated 1.7 million IDPs in Gaza. Many of them have been displaced multiple times, as families have been forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Due to continued fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered. Rafah governorate is where over one million people are squeezed into an extremely overcrowded space. Following intense Israeli bombardment and fighting in Khan Yunis and the central area of the Gaza Strip in recent days, as well as new Israeli military evacuation orders, a significant number of displaced people have moved further south.
On 23 and 25 January, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders via social media to Palestinians in several city blocks in Khan Yunis across a four-square-kilometre area. There are about 88,000 residents in the area, in addition to an estimated 425,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) seeking shelter in 24 schools and other institutions. The affected area includes Nasser Hospital (475 beds), Al Amal Hospital (100 beds) and the Jordanian Hospital (50 beds), representing almost 20 per cent of the remaining partially functioning hospitals across the Gaza Strip. Three health clinics are also located in the affected area. Some 18,000 IDPs are reported to be in the Nasser Hospital, with an unknown number of IDPs seeking shelter in the other health facilities. On 25 January, the Israeli military reissued the same evacuation orders via social media.
Since 11 October 2023, 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 were depleted. The communications and industrial fuel shutdown continue to significantly hinder the aid community's efforts to assess the full extent of needs in Gaza and to adequately respond to the deepening humanitarian crisis.
Since November 19, limited fuel amounts have entered the Gaza Strip from Rafah. However, since these are insufficient, hospitals, water facilities and other critical facilities are still only operating at limited capacity.
A Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment team has identified about 570 kilometres of electricity feeder lines that have been damaged as of January 12. This represents some 57 per cent of feeder lines, with damage expected to have increased further since then. Fuel is urgently needed for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company (GEDCO) teams to conduct damage assessment.
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 8 - January 31, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54083.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca