Humanitarian activities implemented following the Israeli forces’ operation in Jenin

Between July 3 and July 4, in Jenin Refugee Camp, Israeli forces carried out the most extensive operation in the West Bank in years, with multiple drone strikes and over 1,000 ground troops. Twelve Palestinians, including four children, were killed and over 140 injured – the most in a single operation since the UN began tracking casualties in 2005. One Israeli soldier was killed by live fire, and another was injured. Targeted sites included locations adjacent to UN facilities; and exchanges of fire reportedly took place near a hospital and other health facilities, with Israeli forces firing tear gas in and around the government hospital. The only UNRWA health clinic inside the camp was severely damaged and remains closed. The water and sewerage network in the camp, as well as roads, were damaged and in some cases destroyed. For previous updates and situation reports, please see www.ochaopt.org

Immediate humanitarian responses have been provided to the affected population by UNRWA and cluster partners. The below list of activities only include those activities already completed or currently underway. 

Protection

• Legal partners have been monitoring and documenting possible violations of international law.
• Nine Child Protection Area of Responsibility or MHPSS partners have formed response teams consisting of 70 counsellors. Together, they have provided PFA to 899 households, and organized stress relief and recreational activities for 850 pupils, and 20 teachers.
• Helping the helpers (self-care) is provided for 20 frontline workers and 56 mothers.
• UNRWA is providing MHPSS for children mainly through the Agency’s Education Department.
• Counselling services are also provided through UNRWA’s Health Department.
• The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) conducted two psychological first aid activities in the UNRWA girls school, benefitting 340 girls and ten teachers. Additionally, PRCS teams provided psychological first aid to 65 families. Currently, PRCS is delivering 85 mental health Kits.
• A Protection Cluster partner is procuring 470 dignity kits to be delivered in the camp.
• Partners specializing in GBV response have, on average, provided medical services and psychosocial support (PSS) to 50 women per day.
• One partner has sent social workers to Jenin to reinforce the provision of PSS.
• A hotline based in Nablus is receiving daily calls and has provided online PSS.
• UNRWA is ensuring ongoing safe identification and referral of cases needing more specialized counselling and follow-up (including for people exposed to GBV or sexual exploitation and abuse).
• Partners responding to GBV have sent psychosocial support teams to Jenin camp, to assess the needs and provide services. Two nationwide hotlines are available to support women who seek support in response to GBV. The GBV Sub-Cluster has informed women and girls of available services.
• A mine action expert has conducted two training sessions on explosive ordnance risks (EOR), targeting 30 UNRWA staff in Jenin camp to reduce community exposure to UXO threats and promote safety. 
• UNRWA has also widely distributed awareness raising materials through social media and in schools to highlight the ongoing risks in the camp and encourage safe behavior, particularly among groups at higher risk of exposure to UXOs.

Health

• Health Cluster partners have started replenishing depleted pre-positioned supplies at health facility and community levels. 
• Health Cluster partners are also procuring additional medical items locally, as needed by the hospitals, to ensure preparedness to future similar emergencies.
• MHPSS partners are supporting those in need with counselling, psychological debriefing activities and distribution of PSS kits to students and school staff.
• Rehabilitation of the injured and provision of supportive medical devices is ongoing. 
• PRCS together with Health Cluster partners are conducting disaster risk management activities on the pre-hospital, hospital and community response level to improve future emergency response.
• Patient referral mechanisms during emergencies are being reviewed. 
• Since 6 July, UNRWA established a temporary health point on the ground of the Palestinian Authority (PA) school located in the premises of Jenin camp’s boundaries, and as of 20 July, UNRWA has assisted approximately 2,900 patients, including 1,384 Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) patients, 116 pregnant women, 383 children and 192 patients for hospital referrals.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

• Piping of water has not yet resumed, but the Palestinian water authority, in cooperation with the Jenin municipally, has fixed the main transition water pipeline of the camp and is supporting water trucking. 
• WASH Cluster partners are trucking water as an immediate emergency response in cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority and the Jenin municipality.
• WASH partners are providing 300 roof tanks for the households who lost their water storage capacities during the operation.
• WASH partners are purchasing about 8 km of water pipeline to restore the water network. 

Shelter 

• Emergency shelter non-food items (NFIs) and assistance for affected families is being provided. 
• UNRWA has processed approximately 100 payments to affected families, prioritizing those who are unable to return to their homes that have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.   
• One-time personal belonging loss assistance is being provided for displaced families.

Education

• UNRWA’s four schools in Jenin camp reopened on 8 July, after assessing and undertaking critical repairs to ensure the safety of students and education staff. 
• UNRWA continues to extend outreach to families whose children have not yet returned to school and develop alternative access pathways for some 70 students who remain displaced with their families. 
• UNRWA, in cooperation with humanitarian partners, has been providing students with basic supplies and materials, such as stationery, bags, hygiene kits and school uniforms.
• Hygiene promotion initiatives and school Hygiene kit distributions are being organized in the four UNRWA schools in the camp.
• PSS activities for children, and capacity building for teachers and counselors on Better Learning Programs (BLP) 1 and 3 are being implemented.
• Ongoing recreational activities target all students in four UNRWA schools. 
• UNRWA started reimbursement of transportation for children according to their current locality of displacement.

Food Security

• FSS partners are providing emergency food assistance and recovery through multiple distribution modalities (food parcels and cash-based distributions, including electronic vouchers).
• FSS partners are supporting the rehabilitation of damaged productive livelihood assets and providing time-critical productive inputs as well as improving livelihood means.

  Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)

• 455 Households received emergency MPCA.
• 748 Households are currently under verification and will receive emergency MPCA next week.
• The Cash Working Group is monitoring distributions through different mechanisms, including cash over counter, cheques, and digital money.

 Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) during the humanitarian response 

• In coordination with UNRWA, SAWA successfully launched a mobile clinic in Jenin, staffed by a dedicated team consisting of one medical doctor, a psychologist, and two social workers. This specialized team has provided support to the affected population conducting group counseling sessions and medical check-ups, offering much-needed care and assistance. 
• Additionally, the team has been actively educating the affected population about the importance of accessing confidential reporting channels. This effort aims to empower people to report any misconduct or wrongdoing by humanitarian workers, ensuring a safe and accountable environment for everyone.
• Two radio spots promoting SAWA's services started on July 7, 2023, and it will continue broadcasting till the end of July. They are being broadcasted on the Al-Bald radio station in Jenin, with two spots aired 5 times each day, resulting in a total of 10 spots being aired daily.
• SAWA initiated an SMS campaign that foresees sending two rounds of 5,000 messages each focused on how to access safe and confidential reporting channels and how to get specialized MHPSS services.