GAZA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE - JANUARY 11

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000104 SIPDIS SENSITIVE NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND NEA/IPA, PRM FOR PRM/ANE; NSC FOR PASCUAL/PRATT; PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN/NANDY/LAUDATO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID PHUM KWBG ETRD IS PREF SUBJECT: GAZA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE - JANUARY 11 Reftel: Jerusalem 103 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Kerem Shalom crossing and Nahal Oz fuel transfer station were open on January 11. UNRWA coordinated several convoys through Kerem Shalom. Karni crossing remains closed. The GOI announced another three-hour "humanitarian pause" on January 11, but there was confusion among UN agencies as to its actual duration. The Gaza power plant resumed partial operations on January 10. Some parts of Gaza City now have 4-6 hours/day of power, including all Gaza hospitals. UNRWA shelters now hold more than 25,600 displaced people. End Summary. Crossings Update -------------- ¶2. (SBU) January 11: Kerem Shalom crossing and Nahal Oz fuel transfer station were open. Karni - including the bulk supply conveyer belt - remains closed. As of 1700 local, WHO and UNRWA contacts reported an estimated 80 truckloads of humanitarian goods entered through Kerem Shalom. An estimated 200,000 liters of industrial fuel for the power plant and 50 tons of cooking gas were scheduled to transfer at Nahal Oz, according to the PA Fuel Agency for Gaza. Erez crossing was closed to all Palestinians on January 11, according to OCHA. WHO contacts report that Rafah is likely to be open for some shipments January 11. ¶3. (SBU) January 10: All Gaza crossings with Israel were closed. Rafah crossing was open for the transfer of 19 patients into Egypt. 14 trucks of medical supplies and five ambulances entered Gaza via Rafah. Internal Movement -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The IDF announced a fifth "humanitarian pause" on January 11 between 1100 and 1400 local. Media sources in Gaza reported military operations in northern Gaza continued during the time period. UN contacts reported some confusion as to the actual duration of the pause. ¶5. (SBU) UNRWA renewed coordinated convoys with the IDF on January 10-11 and resupplied its seven food distribution sites. UNRWA planned to take 56 trucks of humanitarian supplies from Kerem Shalom to destinations throughout Gaza on January 11. UNRWA delivered food and water to its 27 shelters on January 11. ¶6. (SBU) ICRC reported that, on January 10, an ICRC vehicle escorting an ambulance was hit by gunfire in Gaza. ICRC could not assess whether it was IDF or militant fire. As a result, ICRC is limiting its movements in Gaza. ICRC and WHO contacts reported that Shifa hospital in Gaza City is coordinating medical evacuations to Rafah directly with the IDF. ¶7. (SBU) On the afternoon of January 10, a female teacher at an UNRWA school in Khan Yunis was killed at her house by IDF shelling, according to UNRWA. USAID shipments to Gaza -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Three (out of a planned five) truckloads of USAID humanitarian supplies entered Gaza via Kerem Shalom as part of an UNRWA-coordinated shipment as of 1700 local on January 11. The reason two trucks were blocked is not known; COGAT reportedly approved all five trucks on January 10. Food/Shelter -------------- ¶9. (SBU) OCHA contacts reported that approximately 90 percent of Gaza's population remains dependent on food assistance. On January 10, UNRWA was able to deliver aid from the Rafah warehouse to the north, restocking food distribution centers and delivering flour to bakeries. ¶10. (SBU) UNRWA reported on January 11 that it is now operating 31 emergency shelters with 25,696 displaced people. On January 10, ICRC escorted 1,000 people out of the northern Gaza area of Beit Lahiya because of security concerns there. Both UNRWA and ICRC contacts confirm that the IDF is ordering Gazans into city centers, increasing the numbers of displaced and the need for humanitarian assistance. Water and Sanitation -------------- JERUSALEM 00000104 002 OF 002 ¶11. (SBU) On January 10, UNRWA finished the scheduled delivery of 75,000 liters of fuel to the Coastal Municipal Water Utility (CMWU). UNRWA also delivered 20,000 liters to the Beach (aka al-Shati) camp near Gaza City. On January 11, UNRWA planned to deliver 4,000 liters to CMWU in Rafah, and another 4,000 liters to water and sewage pumps in southern and central Gaza. Power/Telecom -------------- ¶12. (SBU) The Gaza power plant general manager reported that one plant unit was restarted on January 10 at 1615 local. The plant is producing 25 MW of electricity on January 11. The manager said that the plant had sufficient fuel to operate at 25 MW until January 13 (normal plant output is 60 MW). He said at least one of the two high-voltage lines running from the plant had been repaired during the afternoon of January 10. He said that several neighborhoods in Gaza City and central Gaza have power four to six hours/day as a result of the plant's limited output. According to OCHA contacts on January 11, around 30 percent of Gaza City's population has intermittent power supply - from four to six hours/day. ¶13. (SBU) Two of the ten feeder lines from Israel remained down on January 11, according to power plant contacts. They added that numerous transformers in Gaza City remained down, although technical crews were working during the daily "humanitarian pauses" to repair the network. GEDCO (Gaza's power distribution company) reported that its technical crews have had some success in recent days replacing damaged transformers in Gaza City. ¶14. (SBU) PalTel contacts said on January 11 that several shipments of telecom spare parts were ready to enter Gaza. The GOI had not yet allowed them in. Health -------------- ¶15. (SBU) WHO contacts said on January 11 that most Gaza hospitals have at least six hours/day of electricity from the grid and continue to rely on back-up generators the remaining hours of the day. Hospitals have sufficient supplies, but emergency rooms and intensive care units are full. Fifteen of UNRWA's 18 primary health clinics are open. Walles