Gaza-Lebanon Humanitarian Emergency

This page is being updated as the situation evolves. Last update: October 7, 2024

Gaza

• Israel and Hamas are involved in the worst outbreak of violence in decades.
• On Saturday, 7 October 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups from Gaza launched a coordinated assault consisting of land and air attacks into multiple border areas of Israel.
• Over 1,431 Israelis and other nationals were killed by Palestinian armed forces, including by rockets launched from the Gaza Strip and over 5,400 have been wounded. Around 242 Israelis were captured by armed groups and taken from Israel into the Gaza Strip, and 13 have been allegedly killed in Israeli airstrikes. 
• On Monday, 8 October, the Israeli government announced a “total blockade” on Gaza, stopping all food, water, electricity and fuel from reaching the already vulnerable population.
• The siege adds to the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which has endured for over 16 years and has devastated Gaza’s economy, leaving most people unable to leave Gaza and restricting access to essential services such as healthcare and education.
• Over 41,000 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip have been killed. 70% of those killed are women and children. The daily death toll in Gaza is the highest of any conflict this century. 
• It is estimated that over 75,000 Palestinians have been injured. Many more are missing.
• There are 1.7 million displaced people across the Gaza Strip, equal to 75% of the population.

Lebanon

• On the 23rd of September 2024, Israeli forces began a series of aerial offensives across Lebanese territory that caused unparalleled devastation. In the span of a day, the strikes killed over 558 individuals, including 50 children, and injured 1,835 others.
• To date, over 1,840 individuals have been killed, including 104 children, and 8,939 others have been injured since October 2023.

Humanitarian Needs and Impact:

• Gaza has undergone a year of a complete blockade, with only a trickle of aid being delivered. 
• 2.3 million people need water, and essential health, water, and sanitation services are on the brink of collapse. The severely limited access to safe water is leading people to consume brackish water from agricultural wells, triggering severe concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases and cholera.
• 1.8 million people find themselves food insecure, which is exacerbated by a severe shortage of electricity, fuel, and water in Gaza. 1.1 million people are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity.
• 24 hospitals are out of service, the healthcare system in Gaza has collapsed.
• Women and girls face increased challenges in maintaining menstrual hygiene, privacy and safety, and the risk of gender-based violence is higher.
• Hundreds of newly widowed women and orphaned young girls lack protection and are more at risk of violence, food insecurity, and homelessness.
• There are critical gaps to health services that affect women and adolescent girls including comprehensive emergency obstetric care, newborn care, SRHR services.

Oxfam Response

Gaza

The ongoing conflict is making delivery of humanitarian assistance nearly impossible. The total siege and limited access to Gaza means very little food, medical aid, water, fuel, and other essentials are available. Despite these challenges, Oxfam's partners are assisting people in Southern Gaza with resources from Oxfam. So far we have reached 700,000 people since early October with humanitarian assistance.

Within the first year of the response, Oxfam and partners provided critical, life-saving food and livelihood assistance to 314,628 people. 

• Within the first year of the response, Oxfam and partners delivered live-saving Water and Safe Hygiene services to 587,136 people. 

• Despite considerable impediments, Oxfam managed to bring in five desalination units through the Rafah crossing. The units were installed across Rafah, Al-Mawasi, and Khan Younis in coordination with PEF. They operated with solar power for six hours daily, providing three litres of clean drinking water per person per day, reaching 48,422 people. 

• Multi-purpose cash was distributed to 19,628 people. Providing cash rather than goods respects people’s ability to prioritize their spending based on their circumstances and preferences. Our monitoring shows that recipients use the cash primarily to buy food, water, medicines, and hygiene items.

• Oxfam and partners procured and distributed 18,709 ready-to-eat food parcels, with items such as beans, peas, tuna, sardines, dates and dried apricots. These parcels supported 91,173 people.

Lebanon

Oxfam in Lebanon and partners are responding to the escalating needs of displaced families in South Lebanon. We distributed hygiene kits and cash to so families can buy food. We continue to build and rehabilitate water points to ensure displaced people have access to clean and safe water. Oxfam is also working on the rehabilitation of water pipes and pump stations in the South in coordination with a number of local and national actors.

We are also adapting our existing programs and activities to the evolving situation on the ground, working closely with local partners, communities, and international agencies to ensure aid is delivered where it is needed most.

We also continue to advocate for a peaceful and just resolution of this conflict.