The UN is assessing damage in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. UN requests $2.8 billion in funding to help three million people in Gaza and West Bank Peace and Security
“Critical changes” are needed to improve access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. The UN and its partners made the announcement on Wednesday, calling for $2.8 billion to quickly help millions of people in the devastated enclave and in the West Bank, where Palestinians are facing rising levels of settler violence.
Meanwhile, there are reports of continued Israeli bombing of the sector, including Gaza City in the north, Rafah in the south and the central areas, where more than a dozen people were reported killed on Tuesday in a rocket attack on a refugee camp.
The threat of famine
The humanitarian appeal released on Wednesday aims to support 3.1 million people by the end of the year. Among other things, it provides for assistance to 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip, which, according to experts, is facing massive famine; the situation is especially dire in the northern regions. This is the result of more than six months of Israeli bombing and ground offensives that were launched in response to Hamas attacks on southern Israel last October.
Reselling Aid
Widespread famine is predicted to hit the northern provinces at any time, with more than half of Gaza’s population already facing catastrophic levels of malnutrition, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. According to OCHA, markets lack basic food supplies and residents of the enclave are relying on informal vendors to sell relief rations.
“A worrying trend has been identified towards an increase in the resale of humanitarian aid in markets, especially by informal street vendors, many of whom are young children,” the UN agency said.
OCHA noted that the funding request it is coordinating will support the work of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), which remains the “backbone” of the humanitarian system in Gaza and the West Bank.
The role of UNRWA
“Two thirds of Gaza’s population – 1.6 million people – are registered with UNRWA as Palestine refugees,” OCHA said, adding that almost one million of 1.7 million displaced people are currently sheltering in 450 UNRWA shelters and public shelters or in close proximity to UN agency facilities.
The UN Office added that there are more than 13 thousand UNRWA staff working in Gaza, of which more than 3,500 are involved in providing assistance. During an emergency, UNRWA’s humanitarian activities reach a wider segment of the population, the statement said. The UN agency also provides services to 1.1 million Palestinian refugees and other registered persons in the West Bank.
Access to clean water
Lack of clean water remains a serious humanitarian problem, OCHA notes, with only one Of the three water pipelines coming from Israel, it is still operating at only 47 percent of its capacity. Sewage drains are overflowing in many areas, increasing public health risks throughout Gaza.
In addition, less than 20 wells are functioning, and only if fuel is available, and there are no fully functioning wastewater treatment systems, the Department reported.
The situation in Rafah
According to a recent UNICEF study that assessed the situation in 75 districts of Rafah, where about 750 thousand people live people, a third of them had water sources that were unsafe to drink.
This included 68 percent of UNRWA centers, and the average water availability was only three liters per person per day.
Although Israel withdrew its troops from the southern Gaza Strip earlier this month, humanitarian organizations remain concerned about a possible ground military operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are currently sheltering. Meanwhile, in the north of the enclave, difficulties in providing assistance are still acutely felt, including due to refusals by the Israeli authorities.
Destruction in hospitals
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed in a social media post on Wednesday that Monday’s mission to Gaza City came later than planned, leaving less time to assess the damage and the needs of the destroyed Al Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian hospital.
“The removal of bodies from Al Shifa continues,” Tedros said. – In the emergency department, health workers are cleaning. The safety of the remaining structures requires careful engineering assessment.”
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“The scale of the destruction of hospitals in Gaza is heartbreaking. We reiterate our call for hospitals to be protected and not attacked or militarized,” he stressed.
According to the latest data from local health authorities, since October 7 in the sector At least 33,800 Palestinians were killed and more than 76,500 were injured. The death toll in Israel from Hamas attacks on October 7 has reached 1,139, with dozens still held captive in Gaza.
According to OCHA, 259 Israeli soldiers were killed during ground operations, and more than 1,570 were injured.
Humanitarian Action
The humanitarian appeal released Wednesday replaces an October funding request that was updated in November and extended through March of this year.
The $2.8 billion figure represents just a fraction of the $4.1 billion the UN and partners estimate is needed to help everyone in need. The requested funds, according to humanitarian organizations, could be enough for operations for nine months.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council meets to discuss the rapidly developing situation in the Middle East and hear briefing by UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini.