As hostilities entered the thirtieth day, ongoing armed clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups were reported in northwest and south Gaza City. Intense bombardments took place across the Gaza Strip, including in Deir Al Balah and the southern areas.
Between 4 November (noon) and 5 November (14:00), 243 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza. At least 65 of these reported fatalities were recorded during airstrikes targeting residential buildings in three refugee camps: Al Bureij and Al Maghazi, both in Deir Al Balah (at least 51 reported fatalities) and Jabaliya in North Gaza governorate (14 reported fatalities). Most of the fatalities are women and children, according to MoH.
This brings the reported fatality toll since the start of the hostilities to 9,770 including 4,008 children and 2,550 women, according to the MoH in Gaza. About 2,260 others are reported missing in Gaza, including 1,270 children. Most are presumed to be trapped under rubble. On average, 134 children have been killed in Gaza every day since the start of the hostilities, based on the MoH figures.
On 5 November, one Israeli soldier was reportedly killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since the start of ground operations to 29, according to Israeli sources.
No exits of dual nationals or patients from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing was recorded on 5 November, for the second consecutive day. This is reportedly due to the failure of Hamas, Israel and Egypt to reach an agreement regarding the safe evacuation of patients from northern Gaza. The halt in the exit of dual nationals and patients followed an attack on an ambulance convoy on its way from Gaza city to Rafah on 3 November. More than 1,100 people reportedly crossed from Gaza to Egypt on 2 and 3 November.
On 5 November, the Israeli military called again on residents of Gaza city and the North Gaza governorate to move southwards between 10:00 and 14:00. However, UN monitoring suggests that less than 2,000 moved. This is attributed to the heavy damage sustained by the two main traffic arteries; fear of being hit and potentially killed, as has reportedly happened to people traveling southwards; and lack of information due to the limited connectivity to cellular networks and internet. The Israeli military claims that Hamas has been physically hindering people’s movement to the south.
On 5 November, a limited number of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies crossed from Egypt into Gaza. Since 21 October, at least 451 trucks have entered Gaza. Of these, at least 158 trucks carried food, 102 carried health supplies, 44 carried water or hygiene products, 32 carried non-food items, and eight carried nutrition supplies, with the remaining trucks carrying mixed cargo.
The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, which prior to the hostilities was the main entry point for goods, remains closed, as does the Israeli pedestrian crossing of Erez.
Displacement (Gaza Strip)
About 1.5 million people in Gaza are internally displaced (IDPs). Of them, some 717,000 are sheltering in 149 UNRWA facilities, 122,000 in hospitals, churches, and public buildings, 110,000 people in 89 non-UNRWA schools, and the remainder are residing with host families.
Overcrowding remains a major concern. Over 530,000 people are sheltering in 92 UNRWA facilities in the south and shelters are unable to accommodate new arrivals. Many IDPs are seeking safety by sleeping in the streets, near UNRWA premises.
An estimated 160,000 IDPs are housed in 57 UNRWA facilities in Gaza city and the North Gaza governorate. UNRWA, however, is no longer able to provide services in those areas and does not have accurate information on people’s needs and conditions since the Israeli evacuation order on 12 October.
Several cases of acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and chicken pox have been reported among people taking refuge at UNRWA shelters.
Gaza remains under a full electricity blackout since 11 October, following Israel’s halt of its power and fuel supply, which triggered the shutdown of Gaza’s sole power plant.
The entry of fuel, which is desperately needed to operate electricity generators to run life-saving equipment, remains banned by the Israeli authorities.
Multiple solar panels on the roofs of standing buildings, particularly in Gaza city, have reportedly been destroyed in the past few days during Israeli bombardments. Affected facilities include Shifa and Nasser hospitals, several water wells, and bakeries. This has eliminated one of the remaining sources of energy, which is not dependent on fuel.
Health care, including attacks (Gaza Strip)
In the past 24 hours, strikes continued in the close vicinity of hospitals, including the Indonesian Hospital (Beit Lahiya) and the Al Quds Hospital in Tal Al Hawa (Gaza city). In the latter, two patients and 12 people sheltering at the hospital were reported injured, and the hospital also sustained damage. The Israeli military claims that members of armed groups have been shooting from those areas.
Since 3 November, the main electricity generators at Shifa Hospital in Gaza city and the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza have reportedly stopped operating due to the lack of fuel. Both hospitals operate secondary, smaller generators, which provide only a few hours of electricity a day for the most critical services.
Since the start of hostilities, 14 out of 35 hospitals with inpatient capacities have stopped functioning and 51 (71 per cent) of all primary care facilities across Gaza (72) have shut down due to damage or lack of fuel.
Water and sanitation (Gaza Strip)
Hundreds of thousands of residents in Gaza city and the North Gaza governorate are facing a severe water shortage, following the shutdown of all municipal water wells due to the lack of fuel, alongside the halt of water trucking activities. This situation raises concerns of dehydration and waterborne diseases due to water consumption from unsafe sources. However, a precise assessment is uncertain due to hostilities and access restrictions.
In the south, all municipal wells have stopped operating since 2 November, due to the lack of fuel. Additionally, one of the two desalination plants in the area shut down and the other is operating at minimum levels. The two pipelines from Israel servicing these areas are operational.
Six of the trucks that entered on 4 November from Egypt carried a total of 198 cubic metres of bottled water. They were distributed during the day at IDP shelters in the south of Gaza, meeting the drinking needs of about 66,000 IDPs for one day.
On 4 and 5 November, seven water facilities across the Gaza Strip were directly hit and sustained major damage, including three sewage pipelines in Gaza city, two water reservoirs (in Gaza City, Rafah and Jabalia refugee camp) and two water wells in Rafah. The Gaza municipality warned about the imminent risk of sewage flooding.
Food security
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), stocks of some essential food items in Gaza, including rice, vegetable oil and pulses, are about to be depleted in the coming 1-3 days. Additionally, retailers are facing significant challenges when restocking available items from wholesalers due to widespread destruction, insecurity, and lack of fuel.
Food supplies entering from Egypt include mainly ready-to-eat food (canned tuna and date bars) and are primarily distributed to IDPs and host families in southern Gaza, with only flour being provided to bakeries.
Distribution of food assistance to IDPs in Gaza city and northern Gaza was almost completely halted for the past few days, following the intensification of ground operations. Anecdotal information suggests that limited food assistance by local NGOs and community-based organizations continues. Some reports indicate that no bakery is currently operational in these areas.
Access to bread in the south is also challenging. The only operative mill in Gaza remains unable to grind wheat due to a lack of electricity and fuel. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since 7 October. Only one of the bakeries contracted by WFP, along with eight other bakeries in the southern and Middle areas, intermittently provides bread to shelters, depending on the availability of flour and fuel. People queue for long hours in bakeries, where they are exposed to airstrikes.
