Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #44. Nov 19, 2023

On 19 November, 31 out of the 36 premature babies, along with 16 staff and family members, were evacuated from Shifa Hospital, in Gaza city, to the neonatal intensive care unit of a maternity hospital, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. The remaining five babies had died in previous days due to the cut off of electricity and fuel. Another 259 patients who were unable to evacuate remain in Shifa, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.

Over the past 24 hours, at least six Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to media reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has preliminarily documented the death of 48 journalists since 7 October, including 43 Palestinian, 4 Israelis and 1 Lebanese, making it the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.

In the West Bank, on 19 November, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man with a disability during an operation that involved armed clashes in Jenin Refugee Camp. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 7 October to 200, including 52 children. Of these fatalities, 70 were recorded in refugee camps, the majority during operations carried out by Israeli forces, most of which involved armed clashes with Palestinians.

Read the full report: Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #44

The eviction of premature babies at risk from Shifa hospital to the southern Gaza Strip. Photo by UNICEF/El Baba, 19 November 2023