The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) detailed in its latest report on the situation there that airstrikes destroyed 16,441 houses, left 11,350 homeless and damaged of 150,000 more.
Entire neighborhoods were destroyed, especially Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Ash Shuja’iyeh, located in the area between Gaza and the refugee camp of Ash Shati’ and Abbassan Kabeera, he detailed.
Of the total number of Palestinians who fled their homes to escape the Israeli bombardment, 641,000 moved to 150 centers of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, he added.
About 700,000 took refuge in the homes of relatives or friends and 121,000 sought protection in hospitals, churches and other public buildings, he explained.
More than 15 percent of internally displaced people have disabilities, but most shelters are not adequately equipped for their needs, he said.
OCHA stressed that although humanitarian supplies that have arrived in the territory in recent days have alleviated the lack of potable water, food and medicine, the situation there is still dramatic.
He emphasized that since the beginning of the current wave of violence, 7,028 Palestinians have died in the enclave, including 2,913 minors and 1,709 women, while in Israel 1,400 people have lost their lives.
He added that about 1,600 Palestinians, including at least 900 children, are reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble in Gaza.
The UN entity noted that “for the seventeenth consecutive day Gaza is subject to a total blackout, following Israel’s disruption of its electricity and fuel supplies.”
Regarding the health sector, he warned that hospitals are facing an unprecedented level of destruction, mainly due to the high number of injuries and critical lack of essential resources such as of medical staff, electricity and water.
The ongoing fighting has displaced most medical professionals, forcing surgical facilities to operate with less than a third of their normal staff, he stressed.
In this regard, he announced that “since the start of hostilities, more than a third of Gaza’s hospitals (12 out of 35) and almost two-thirds of primary care clinics (46 out of 72) have closed due to damage or lack of fuel.
The power outage also affected suppliers and food markets, while cold chains were damaged, causing them to start throwing away their products, he concluded.
