Active ground operations in the heart of Gaza city have continued to disrupt the movement of rescue teams and ambulances and people to obtain their essential needs, particularly food and water. Households in the western neighbourhoods of Gaza city appealed for help after their remaining food and drinking water had been depleted. Reportedly, they were unable to leave their homes because of the presence of Israeli ground troops and fighting. Multiple appeals by stranded households and family members underneath struck buildings and homes went unanswered; the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has been unable to respond to hundreds of calls to assist and evacuate.
On 16 November, the Israeli military – which has called residents in the north to evacuate to the south – continued opening a “corridor” along the main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road, between 9:00 and 16:00. The Israeli military also announced a “tactical halt in military activities,” in Ash Shujai’yeh and the Turkmen neighbourhoods, between 10:00 and 14:00, to enable the departure of people southward. OCHA’s monitoring team estimates that about 10,000 people moved during the day.
Israeli forces have reportedly been arresting some IDPs fleeing through the “corridor.” There are anecdotal and eyewitness reports of some IDPs being beaten and stripped of their clothing. On 14 November, IDPs reported that the Israeli army had established an unstaffed checkpoint where people are directed from a distance to pass through two structures, where a surveillance system is thought to be installed. IDPs are reportedly ordered to show their IDs and undergo what appears to be a facial recognition scan.
Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update #41
Jamal inspects his home in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, after it was heavily damaged in hostilities. By 6 November, over 40,000 housing units across the Gaza Strip had been destroyed, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. Photo by ©UNICEF/Zaqout, 16 November 2023
