Potentially ‘deadly’ consequences could arise from Israel’s UNRWA ban: UNICEF

North Gaza: Displacement, destruction and dwindling aid

Intense hostilities continued in northern Gaza on Thursday, especially in Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported in an update.

OCHA said the third floor of Kamal Adwan Hospital was bombed, destroying medical supplies delivered just five days ago during a joint mission led by the World Health Organization (WHO), with its support.

Hospitals in the north are under assault and rescue teams are unable to work due to the arrests of personnel and the confiscation of essential equipment, including ambulances and a fire truck, the agency added.

100,000 uprooted overall

Forced displacement continues in the region. Some 300 Palestinians were displaced to the south through the Al Rashid checkpoint on Thursday, according to aid partners.

Within northern Gaza, Palestinians staying around the Indonesian hospital and Tal Al Arabi school in the Al Fakhoura area were displaced to Beit Lahiya.

In total, some 100,000 people have been displaced from North Gaza governorate to Gaza City since Israel launched this latest ground operation on 6 October.

OCHA said almost no aid operations have been permitted into North Gaza, aside from limited missions, and the humanitarian crisis is being worsened by dwindling supplies, high casualties, frequent strikes on healthcare facilities and widespread displacement.

Last neonatal ICU in the north out of action

Separately, UN sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA warned that attacks on hospitals in the north – including Kamal Adwan, which is the main provider of obstetric care - have shut down the last functioning neonatal intensive care unit in the region.

The attacks have also further restricted access to maternity care for the roughly 4,000 pregnant women in the area.

“Reports of women dying during or shortly after childbirth, and women giving birth alone without medical care, are increasing,” UNFPA said in a news alert.

The agency reported that only two out of 20 health service points in the north are partially functioning. The same applies to two hospitals there, with the Al-Awda Hospital inaccessible due to damaged roads and the Israeli army presence nearby.

‘Harrowing’ attacks on healthcare

“The results of the attacks on healthcare are harrowing”, UNFPA said, noting that an airstrike wiped out the last remaining medical supplies inside Kamal Adwan Hospital and the warehouse storing supplies also went up in flames.

Furthermore, two children died at Al-Awda Hospital after medical equipment was damaged, cutting off their oxygen supply in the intensive care unit, according to medical personnel.

A new mother was also killed when the ambulance she was travelling in was targeted shortly after she gave birth, though her newborn survived.

Concern for new mothers

Furthermore, widespread food insecurity and ensuing malnutrition are compounding the suffering of around 14,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women in the north, who are rapidly exhausting all available means for survival.

“As the threat of famine persists, around 1,440 pregnant and breastfeeding women will need treatment for acute malnutrition in the coming months,” the agency said.

UNRWA ‘irreplaceable and indispensable’

UNFPA also added that its humanitarian response relies heavily on the partnership with UNRWA, including over the past 13 months of war in Gaza.

“UNRWA's established network and infrastructure is crucial for delivering essential reproductive healthcare, including maternal health and protection services,” the agency said.

“UNFPA is deeply concerned by efforts to undermine UNRWA, as this will jeopardize access to critical care for women and girls. UNRWA is irreplaceable and indispensable and must be allowed to deliver on its mandate during this conflict and beyond.”