This week, Israeli forces killed one Palestinian (Gaza) and injured 20 others throughout the oPt. In the West Bank, Israeli forces removed 24 movement obstacles in the south. Israeli settlers take over a house in the Old City of Jerusalem; there were other settler-related incidents. A new wave of demolition orders in the West Bank. In Gaza, access restrictions on fishing areas continue. Tunnels continue to claim lives; two Palestinians died. Internal attacks result in two injuries. Electricity crisis continues despite slight improvement. Limited shipments of exports and entry of glass continue. Phase one of the new Northern Sewage Treatment Plant completed. Cooking gas.
Highlighting the impact of the blockade on Gaza on the health of Gaza's population and on health services, the UN HC and AIDA call for an immediate opening of the crossings. "The closure of the Gaza Strip puts at risk the health of people in Gaza and undermines the functioning of the health care system."
The blockade and Israel?s major military offensive last year have led to on-going deterioration in the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. 27 patients have died this year while awaiting permits from the Israeli authorities to exit Gaza for medical treatment. The lack of building materials allowed to enter Gaza is affecting essential health facilities: the new surgical wing in Gaza?s main Shifa hospital has remained unfinished since 2006 and hospitals and primary care facilities, damaged during the Israeli operation have not been rebuilt.
As the year of 2009 comes to a close, large segments of the Palestinian civilian population in the oPt, in particular those living in the Gaza Strip and in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, continue to endure a serious crisis of human dignity. The Israeli-imposed blockade continues to hinder reconstruction in Gaza. As of the end of the year, some 20,000 Gazans remain displaced. Some 60 percent of the West Bank, remains off-limits for Palestinian use and development, and many Palestinian families face the threat of displacement from eviction or demolition of their homes. While in 2009 the overall number of Palestinian injuries reached the lowest level since 2005, human rights groups have drawn attention to the recent rise in Israeli arrests of organizers of non-violent protests in the West Bank.
This OCHA Special Focus covers the planning and zoning regime applied by the Israeli authorities in Area C of the West Bank. Under this regime, Palestinian construction is effectively prohibited in some 70 percent of Area C, while in the remaining 30 percent, a range of restrictions virtually eliminate the possibility of obtaining a building permit. In practice, the Israeli authorities generally allow Palestinian construction only within the boundaries of an Israeli-approved plan and these cover less than one percent of Area C, much of which is already built-up. As a result, Palestinians are left with no choice but to build "illegally" and risk demolition of their structures and displacement. The consequences of the current regime are wide-ranging and extend to the entire Palestinian population of the West Bank.
Over $664 million is needed for humanitarian assistance for palestinians.
The 2010 Consolidated Appeal (CAP) in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) requests a total ofUSD664,473,688 for 236 humanitarian and early recovery projects: 147 to be implemented by United Nations agencies, and 89 by international and local NGO?s. The residents of the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank, including those living in areas near Israeli settlements and in Barrier-adjacent areas,have been identified as priority populations in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Programs regarding Cash Assistance/Cash for Work, and Food, Security and Nutrition comprise approximately twothirds of this year?s funding requirements.
Over the course of the past six months (May-October 2009), the Israeli authorities continued to implement measures that increased the freedom of movement of Palestinians between most Palestinian urban centres in the West Bank. However, during the same period, there has been no significant improvement when it comes to access to land and use of space by Palestinians.
The "price tag" strategy is a new pattern of violence that emerged during 2008, in which groups of settlers would exact a "price" against Palestinians and their property in response to attempts by the Israeli authorities to dismantle "unauthorized" settlement outposts. This new pattern of violence raises significant additional concerns related to the protection of Palestinian civilians. The present factsheet is a first step towards delineating the contours of these concerns and suggesting a preventive approach, which includes the mapping of Palestinian communities vulnerable to settler violence.
Gaza, 9, November 2009: The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Maxwell Gaylard and the non-governmental organization consortium, the Association for International Development Agencies, today called for the long-overdue and immediate opening of crossings into the Gaza Strip to enable Palestinian communities and families to prepare for the coming winter and rainy season.
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) Mr Maxwell Gaylard, together with the NGO Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA), today called for full and unrestricted access for spare parts and materials critically needed to restore Gaza's water and sanitation services.
Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel has imposed an unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip.1 The blockade has ?locked in? 1.5 million people in what is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences. At the heart of this crisis is the degradation in the living conditions of the population, caused by the erosion of livelihoods and the gradual decline in the state of infrastructure, and the quality of vital services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and education.