UN estimates over 1.8 million palestinians had to flee their homes due to unprecedented war

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, says about 1.8 million people are thought to be internally displaced, out of the 2.2 million who live in Gaza.

It is believed that about 1.8 million people in Gaza, or nearly 80 per cent of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced.

However, obtaining an accurate count is challenging , especially given difficulties in tracking IDPs staying with host families and accounting for those who returned to their homes during the pause but remain registered in UNRWA and other shelters.

Due to the overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions at UNRWA shelters in the south, there have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections and hygiene-related conditions like lice.

There are also initial reports of disease outbreaks, including hepatitis.There have been grave concern about vulnerable groups of people who are struggling with difficult shelter conditions.

This includes people with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries; and those with compromised immune systems.

IDP’s at UN facilities a month ago

Nearly 600,000 internally displaced people were sheltering in 150 facilities of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.

A resumed Israeli military assault in the overcrowded south of Gaza may lead many of 1 million refugees – including 900,000 sheltering in UN buildings – to try to push over the border into Egypt, the head of the UN’s Palestine relief agency UNRWA has warned.

A United Nations-led aid consortium estimates that more than 234,000 homes have been damaged across Gaza and 46,000  destroyed, amounting to about 60 percent of the housing stock in the territory, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.