WAUK Newsletter – Gaza Emergency Appeal: 10/08/2022

Gaza Emergency Appeal – August 2022
Providing Emergency Medical Supplies to Hospitals in Gaza.

The latest Israeli bombardment of Gaza, (the worst since the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in May 2021 – when more than 260 Palestinians were killed with another 2,000 injured), began on Friday 5 August 2022, when Israeli authorities spoke of launching a so-called ‘pre-emptive’ operation in Gaza. Israeli military airstrikes in Gaza on Friday included those in Rafah, Khan Younis, Beit Hanoun and Al Shujiya, densely populated areas. By Friday evening reports already noted 10 killed and 55 injured.

Islamic Jihad called the initial Israeli bombardment of Gaza a “declaration of war”, and fired around 100 rockets into Southern Israel on Friday night. With many rockets intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system, it was reported that there were no deaths or serious injuries, 13 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

On Saturday 6 August the Israeli military intensified their airstrikes on Gaza, flattening residential buildings in Gaza City and bombing Jabalya in the North of Gaza. Israel warned on Saturday that its bombing campaign could last a week. These sudden attacks left Gaza’s population of more than two million people, trapped and without essential supplies, as Israel had closed the crossings into and out of Gaza since Tuesday 2 August 2022. With no fuel allowed into Gaza, the main power plant in Gaza had to close at mid-day on Saturday. The director of Shifa Hospital, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, explained that the collapse of the health sector was an inevitable result of Israel’s 15-year blockade of Gaza. The latest electricity crisis paralysed all the hospitals departments, especially the intensive care unit, the oxygen-generating stations and baby units.

On Sunday 7 August intense Israeli airstrikes were also targeting Rafah in Southern Gaza, reports note 30 Palestinians were killed on Sunday. Finally a ceasefire was brokered by Egypt and the United Nations and came into effect on 7 August at 23:30.


The latest Israeli military bombardment and destruction of Gaza has resulted in:

• 46 Palestinians killed.
• The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 360 Palestinians injured, including 151 children.
• 1,761 housing units in Gaza sustained damages, 18 of which are fully destroyed and 68 severely damaged.
• 84 families (450 individuals) are displaced and 8,500 individuals have been affected by housing damages.

On Monday 8 August the United Nations reported that Israeli security started to gradually remove the restrictions on Gaza crossings, allowing movement of specific categories of people with permits and authorizing commodities, including fuel. The Gaza Power Plant which shut down on 6 August at noon due to lack of fuel (causing rolling power cuts up to 20 hours a day) resumed function at noon on 8 August, enabling power supply for about 11 hours per day