On 30 October, significant Israeli ground operations within Gaza continued for the fourth consecutive day, alongside intense bombardments. A total of 304 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on 29 October, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. This brings the cumulative fatality toll reported by MoH in Gaza since the start of hostilities to 8,309, of whom 70 percent are said to be children and women.
For the second consecutive day, the vicinities of two hospitals in Gaza city and northern Gaza have reportedly been bombarded, resulting in damage. All 13 hospitals that are still operational in these areas have received repeated Israeli evacuation orders in recent days. Thousands of patients and medical staff, as well as about 117,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), are staying in these facilities. Remarks delivered to the Security Council today on behalf of the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stated “we are deeply concerned by allegations of military installations in the close vicinity of hospitals and the request by Israeli authorities for hospitals, including Al Quds and Shifa, to be evacuated – there is nowhere safe for these patients to go, and for those on life support and babies in incubators, moving would almost certainly be a death sentence.”
On 30 October, a total of 26 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt. While the increase in the volume of aid entering Gaza during the past two days is welcome, current amounts are a fraction of what is needed to prevent further deterioration in the already-dire humanitarian situation, including civil unrest. As stated by Griffiths in his message to the Security Council, it is “urgent for us to replenish fuel supplies, which are vital for powering most essential services, including hospitals and water desalination plants, and to transport humanitarian relief inside Gaza.”
Water supply from Israel to southern Gaza came to a halt on 30 October for unknown reasons, while the announced repair of another pipeline from Israel to the Middle Area, ahead of its reactivation, did not take place. This follows several days of gradual improvement of water supply in central and southern Gaza following the distribution of limited amounts of fuel available in Gaza to key water facilities, enabling their reactivation. At the time of writing, no water is provided to Gaza from Israel.
As of 30 October, more than 1.4 million people in Gaza were internally displaced, with nearly 672,000 sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities. The average number of IDPs per shelter is over three times their intended capacity.
Palestinian armed groups’ indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population 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.
On 30 October, as part of their ground operations, Israeli forces released one female Israeli soldier who was held captive in Gaza. This followed Hamas’ release of four civilian hostages on 20 and 23 October. According to the Israeli authorities, 238 people are held captive in Gaza, including Israelis and foreign nationals. Media reports indicated that about 30 of the hostages are children. On 26 October, Hamas claimed that 50 of the hostages had been killed by Israeli airstrikes.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and an Israeli settler killed another Palestinian between the afternoon of 29 October and 21:00 on 30 October. This brings the total number of Palestinian fatalities by Israeli forces or settlers since 7 October to 121, including 33 children, alongside one Israeli soldier killed by Palestinians.
Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes in the West Bank since 7 October. This includes at least 98 Palestinian households, comprising over 800 people, driven out from 15 herding/Bedouin communities in Area C, amid intensified settler violence and access restrictions. Another 121 Palestinians were displaced following the demolition of their homes by the Israeli authorities on grounds of lack of Israeli-issued building permits or as a punitive measure.
