At a glance: Occupied Palestinian Territory
Funding appeals and humanitarian action updates
More than half (56%) of Gaza’s 1.4 million residents are children, and past days have unfortunately highlighted that there are currently no safe spaces in Gaza for them. 840,000 children are under extreme stress and trauma-inducing conditions; shortage of drinking water and sewage overflows in residential areas are becoming an imminent public health danger; and over 35,000 people are seeking refuge in emergency public shelters.
As of January 13, a reported 311 children and 76 women have been killed throughout this military operation, and more than 1,459 children and 625 women injured. These alarming numbers are likely to continue to grow. UNICEF is highly concerned about the situation on the ground and its terrible toll on children and parents.
The UNICEF Humanitarian Action Update seeks to appeal for US$ 20,000,000 in order to be able to carry out its activities in the areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Health and Nutrition, Education and Child Protection.
oPT Humanitarian Action Update, 14 January 2009 [pdf]
Life has gone from bad to worse for most Palestinian children and women in 2008, particularly in Gaza. Humanitarian access has deteriorated, notably through a reduction in the number of crossings through the West Bank Barrier for UN goods. As at end-November, 79 children had died in the conflict with Israel since beginning of the year, and at least 493 were injured, many seriously.
UNICEF works in collaboration UN agencies, NGOs and Government actors in the framework of the Consolidated Appeals Process. In 2008, UNICEF overall requirements for oPT total US$17 million, of which 73% has been funded to date. UNICEF’s assisted emergency programmes focus on health, education, protection and adolescent development, targeting eight districts where the needs are greatest – Gaza City, North Gaza, Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in Gaza, and Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah / El-Bireh and Hebron in the West Bank.
oPT Humanitarian Action Update, 23 December 2008 [pdf]
Despite the truce declared with Israel on 19 June 2008, Gaza remains under virtual siege. Shortages of electricity, fuel, safe water and sanitation frame daily life. As of end-August 2008, 77 children had died in the conflict with Israel since beginning of the year, and at least 387 were injured, many seriously. UNICEF’s assisted emergency programmes focus on health, education, protection and adolescent development, targeting eight districts where the needs are greatest. UNICEF works in collaboration UN agencies, NGOs and Government actors in the framework of the Consolidated Appeals Process. In 2008, UNICEF overall requirements for oPT total US$17 million, of which 62% has been funded to date.
oPT Humanitarian Action Update October 208 [pdf]
More children have died in the conflict with Israel in the first half of 2008 than during all of 2007. Despite a ceasefire with Israel, Gaza’s borders remain largely closed. Shortages of fuel and electricity translate into electricity cuts of 8 – 10 hours/day, disruptions in water distribution, sewage treatment, and to a lesser extent, health care.
Previously self-reliant families are increasingly food insecure, notably in Gaza. Across oPt, the share of spending on food over total household expenditure is as high as 64% in urban areas and 60% in rural areas. In Gaza, a UNICEF-supported assessment linked rising child malnutrition to insufficient meat and fruit intake and less household income.
In the West Bank, new procedures applied to the movement of UN agencies including searches of UN property, refusal to accept UN identification, and requiring UN Palestinian staff to walk across crossings pose significant challenges to humanitarian operations.
UNICEF’s programmes focus on health, education, child protection and adolescent development, targeting eight districts in particular where the needs are greatest – Gaza City, North Gaza, Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, and Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah / El-Bireh and Hebron in the West Bank.
oPT Humanitarian Action Update 18 Jul 2008 [pdf]
2008 has offered little promise for children thus far. As of mid-March, 39 children had died in conflict, compared with 10 children over the same period last year. In February, 1,782 truckloads of goods were allowed into Gaza, an 86% decline from last year. Across the West Bank, the closure regime is tighter than ever, with 580 obstacles to movement in February 2008, up from 376 when the Access and Movement Agreement was signed in November 2005. UNICEF’s programmes focus on health, education, child protection and adolescent development, targeting communities where the needs are greatest. This support is needed more than ever to help prevent further deterioration in children’s well-being.
oPT Humanitarian Action Update 4 Apr 2008 [pdf]
