By Abdulkareem Haruna

Over 300 fatalities in Gaza and nearly 200 wounded in Israel in the last 24 hours; mass evacuations underway as hostilities continue

Gaza and Israel are witnessing escalating violence with no respite in sight. In the last 24 hours, there have been 315 fatalities and 1,048 injuries in Gaza due to continued heavy Israeli bombardments from air, sea, and land, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Israel ordered residents to evacuate northern parts of the Gaza Strip ahead of military operations, triggering mass displacement from the north to the south. This move followed the internal displacement of over 400,000 Palestinians due to the ongoing hostilities.

In contrast, Palestinian armed groups persisted with indiscriminate rocket firing towards Israeli population centers, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. While no Israeli fatalities were reported in the past day, 183 people were wounded, according to Israeli media.

Israeli media also reported that the Israeli city of Sderot will be completely evacuated within 24 hours. Many residents have reportedly left Ashqelon and other Israeli towns, adding to the mass displacement primarily observed in small communities in southern Israel near Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating rapidly. Access to clean drinking water has been severely limited, with people resorting to consuming brackish water from agricultural wells. This situation raises serious concerns about the potential spread of waterborne diseases.

Electricity has been absent in Gaza for four consecutive days, leading to a near-collapse of vital services like health, water, sanitation, and exacerbating food insecurity. Hospitals in Gaza are running on backup generators with only about 48 hours of fuel remaining. The shutdown of these generators could put thousands of patients at immediate risk.

The Israeli forces have reportedly killed 19 Palestinians, including seven children, across the West Bank between yesterday afternoon and today. The past week has seen the death of 49 Palestinians, including 13 children, making it the deadliest week for West Bank Palestinians since the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) began recording casualties in 2005.

On 12 October, the OPT Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) launched a Flash Appeal requesting US$294 million to address the most urgent needs of 1,260,000 people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Gaza Humanitarian Overview

Hostilities have led to the destruction of multiple residential buildings in densely populated areas. Hospitals are receiving an average of 1,000 daily injuries, with 75% classified as moderate to severe.

Human rights organizations have raised concerns over incidents where civilians and civilian objects appear to have been directly targeted by Israeli airstrikes. Many casualties remain trapped beneath the rubble, with rescue and medical teams unable to access areas due to safety concerns, equipment shortages, and extensive street damage.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Public Works, over 1,300 buildings, including residential and non-residential, comprising 5,540 housing units have been destroyed. An additional 3,743 housing units have been rendered uninhabitable due to irreparable damage.

The hostilities have also led to massive infrastructural damage, including at least 144 educational facilities and several religious buildings. Essential water and sanitation facilities have been severely damaged, affecting over 1.1 million people