According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 1,900 Gazans have been killed in missile strikes on the densely populated territory, the majority of them were civilians, including more than 600 children.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the bombardment is “just the beginning” of Israel’s response to Hamas forces killing over 1,300 civilians a week ago.
“According to the Gaza Ministry of Public Works, 1,324 residential and non-residential buildings, comprising 5,540 housing units, have been destroyed,” OCHA said.

“Another 3,743 housing units have been damaged beyond repair and rendered uninhabitable.”
A further 55,000 housing units have been partially damaged, said OCHA.
According to the United Nations, almost 1,300 buildings have been demolished in Gaza thus far.
According to the UN’s humanitarian organization OCHA, “5,540 housing units” were destroyed in those structures, and roughly 3,750 more were so seriously damaged that they were uninhabitable.
The UN has been tracking the number of individuals who have been displaced from their homes within the Gaza Strip, with over 423,000 documented as of the end of Thursday.
Israel then advised that 1.1 million people in the enclave’s north needed to flee to the south immediately, ahead of an expected ground offensive.
As of 1800 GMT Friday, “it is estimated that tens of thousands have fled”, OCHA said.
“Currently, the precise scope of internally displaced persons in the Gaza Strip is unknown,” it said.
Citing the Palestinian health ministry, it said “vehicles of those evacuating the north were hit, killing more than 40 people and injuring 150 others.
“These incidents prompted many people to abandon their evacuation efforts and return home.
“No safe corridors were initially provided for people to safely comply with the orders to move southwards. Hundreds of people, including families, had to flee on foot.”
OCHA said most people in the Gaza Strip were now without access to clean drinking water.
“As a last resort, people are consuming brackish water from agricultural wells, triggering serious concerns about the spread of waterborne diseases.”
According to OCHA, air strikes have damaged six water wells, three water pumping stations, one water reservoir, and one desalination facility that serve over 110,000 people since the start of the conflict.
According to the report, the total power outage has pushed crucial health, water, and sanitation systems “to the brink of collapse” and worsened food shortages.