UNICEF in the State of Palestine Escalation Humanitarian Situation Report No.14

Highlights

• Intensified hostilities in Gaza’s Middle Area and Khan Younis have led to a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Civilian casualties have risen rapidly with devastating consequences for civilians many of whom had already fled for safety from Gaza City and the north to the Middle Area.
• Up to 90 per cent of children under two are subject to severe food poverty, and cases of diarrhea in children went up by 50 per cent in just one week.
• Limited access to clean water, coupled with increased risk of sewage overflows, increases the risk of disease outbreak.
• Continued denial of provision of fuel for water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Northern governorates, leaves tens of thousands of people without access to clean water and increases the risk of sewage overflows, and as a consequence, the spread of communicable diseases.
• UNICEF provided psychosocial support services for more than 54,000 people including over 44,000 children during the reporting period. Of those, 30,000 children received in-person structured psychosocial support services including 287 children with disabilities.
• UNICEF provided over 78,000 litres of fuel during the reporting period to run water wells and desalination plants, reaching over 1.3 million people with water, including over 670,000 children. Also, over 67,000 litres of bottled water were distributed, benefitting over 22,000 people, including 11,500 children.

• UNICEF has moved 308 trucks of supplies into the Gaza Strip from Egypt since 21 October. In the past week, seven trucks brought critical emergency supplies including: 10,800 Family Hygiene Kits for 1,200 families; water tanks and collapsible tanks for 2,500 people; 577,500 sanitary pads; 69,960 bottles of Ready to Use Formula for 500 infants between for a period of 1 month; as well as various medical kits and supplementary foods for 55,000 people.

Situation reports are the main reporting tool to monitor UNICEF’s humanitarian response. They provide an update on the situation and needs of children in a country or region, as well as information on UNICEF’s response and funding requirements.