Reaching 1.4 Million Survivors, Gaza’s Refugee Camps Begin to Overflow

Gaza, Palestine – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), as reported by reliefweb.int on October 22, states that around 1.4 million Palestinian civilians have become refugees due to the escalating conflict between Palestine and Israel. To date, the average number of refugees in each shelter has exceeded capacity by 2.5 times.

The escalation of the conflict between Palestine and Israel since October 7, 2023, has forced Palestinian civilians to seek refuge in safer locations. The United Nations (UN) through UNOCHA has recorded that approximately 580,000 Palestinians have sought shelter in 150 emergency shelters. The survivors have taken refuge in accommodations provided by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

“Approximately 1.4 million internal refugees are estimated to be in Gaza. Nearly 580,000 people are sheltered in 150 UNRWA-Designated Emergency Shelters (DES),” UNOCHA stated in ‘Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #16’ on October 22.

According to VoA Indonesia, other Palestinian residents have also sought refuge in white tents in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Some of these refugees even came from the city of Gaza because the shelters in Gaza City are already overcrowded.

Humanitarian Aid Depends on Fuel

The situation has become more precarious as Israel has cut off Palestinian access to fuel, water, food, and electricity. According to Detik.com on October 23, Philippe Lazzarini, the Head of UNRWA, revealed that the fuel supply in Gaza will run out within three days.

“Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals, and no bakeries. Without fuel, humanitarian aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance,” said Philippe Lazzarini, Head of UNRWA.

As per Kompas.com, the blockade is intermittent, and only 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have managed to enter Gaza through the Rafah gate (10/21). At present, over 200 trucks carrying 3,000 tons of aid have been held up for days near the Egyptian territory of Rafah.

Under International Humanitarian Law, intentionally causing starvation among civilian populations is considered a violation. Unfortunately, the blockade that leads to these conditions persists, despite condemnation from various countries of Israel’s actions.

“Starvation of civilians and perfidy are methods of warfare that are expressly prohibited under International Humanitarian Law,” stated the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in its reading on International Humanitarian Law.

Sources:

https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-16
https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/kamp-tenda-pengungsi-palestina-di-gaza-selatan-yang-traumatis-/7320719.html
https://news.detik.com/internasional/d-6996587/29-staf-pbb-untuk-pengungsi-palestina-tewas-imbas-perang-hamas-israel-di-gaza
https://www.kompas.id/baca/internasional/2023/10/21/gerbang-rafah-dibuka-truk-truk-pengangkut-bantuan-mulai-masuk-gaza

Image Source:

Approximately 120 tents set up in the courtyard of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Khan Younis to accommodate refugees from northern Gaza. (Reuters: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
Addressing the dire situation in Gaza, which is completely encircled by the Israeli military, Save the Children sounded an alert on clean water on Monday (10/16) by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees in the eastern part. (Reuters: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)