Gaza: Strikes on houses and tents responsible for over half of deaths this week

This article is published in association with United Nations.

More than half the people killed in Gaza over the past week were in shelters and residential buildings, the UN human rights office OHCHR said on Thursday. 

629 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the last week, according to OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  

At least 358 were killed because of attacks targeting houses and tents for displaced people, with children and women comprising at least 148 of the victims.

“The high number of strikes on shelters, in the context of the existing destruction of infrastructure in Gaza, raises grave concerns that not all strikes were targeting military objectives,” OHCHR said.

Journalists under fire

Furthermore, nine Palestinian journalists were killed last week, making it one of the deadliest for the profession since the conflict began in October 2023.

Although journalists have a deep sense of duty to their work, “they, too, are displaced, tired and hungry like the rest of the population of Gaza,” OHCHR said.

“However, it appears that in many instances, these journalists may have been deliberately targeted with the intention of limiting the flow of information on what is happening in Gaza and the scale of the impact that this war is having on civilians.”

The office said international journalists must be allowed into Gaza and their safety ensured.

Aid on the move

Meanwhile, lifesaving aid is making its way across the enclave following a nearly 80-day blockade.

UN aid coordination office OCHA confirmed that 90 trucks carrying nutrition supplies, flour, medicines and other critical stocks left the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Wednesday for multiple destinations inside Gaza.

Among the supplies were more than 500 pallets containing items such as ready-to-use therapeutic food and nutritional supplements which were offloaded at a warehouse in Deir Al-Balah belonging to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The contents are being unpacked and repackaged into smaller loads for onward transportation to distribution points.

WFP

Workers pack freshly baked bread into bags for distribution at Al-Banna Bakery in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.

Famine risk persists

A handful of bakeries in south and central Gaza, supported by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), are also now operational and are back to baking bread, which is being distributed via community kitchens.

“However, after nearly 80 days of a total blockade of humanitarian assistance, families still face a high risk of famine, and far more aid is urgently needed into the Gaza Strip,” said Mr. Dujarric.

Food security experts recently warned that Gaza’s entire population, over two million people, are at risk of famine, with nearly half a million facing starvation.

Humanitarians underlined the critical need for Israel to facilitate the movement of aid convoys, including from southern Gaza into the north, so that all supplies can reach people in need wherever they are. 

“We also need to ensure the use of secure routes from Kerem Shalom onward into Gaza, as we did last night,” the Spokesperson said.

Strikes and shelling continue

Meanwhile, military operations continue across Gaza, with reports of strikes, shelling and fresh ground incursions.

The Al Awda hospital in North Gaza caught fire on Thursday, reportedly after being attacked. The medicine warehouse was heavily damaged, according to initial reports.

“Through coordination with Israeli authorities, OCHA facilitated the access of the Palestinian Civil Defense to the area, where they spent hours working to extinguish the fire,” said Mr. Dujarric.

He added that water wells in some areas of Gaza are shutting down as no fuel has been allowed in since the blockade.

“OCHA reports that Israeli authorities continue to deny our attempts to deliver fuel from areas where coordination is required,” he said. 

Healthcare under attack

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Israel’s intensified military operations continue to threaten Gaza’s already weakened health system. 

Four major hospitals have had to suspend medical services in the past week due to their proximity to hostilities or evacuation zones, and attacks. 

Only 19 out of 36 hospitals remain operational. Twelve provide a variety of health services, while the rest are only able to provide basic emergency care. 

WHO has recorded 28 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past week, and 697 attacks since October 2023.