The Monthly Humanitarian Bulletin | February 2015

On 17 February, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced a series of measures aimed at easing access restrictions in and out of Gaza, to improve the humanitarian conditions of the population. These include a rise in the quota of exit permits for Palestinian merchants from 3,000 to 5,000 a month, an increase in the daily number of exits from 400 to 800 per day, and allowing textiles and furniture to be transferred to the West Bank for commercial purposes. These measures are expected to facilitate employment generation within Gaza, although their precise impact depends on a range of additional factors.

On 24 February, the Israeli government announced that it would withhold the transfer of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) for a third successive month in retaliation for Palestinian accession to the International Criminal Court. This brings the total amount withheld to over $400 million. The Palestinian Minister of Finance has indicated that tax revenues represent some 70 per cent of the PA’s budget.

The situation of the approximately 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a result of the July-August hostilities remains precarious and uncertain. Approximately 8,800 of them currently reside in 14 UNRWA Collective Centres, 1,700 in prefabricated housing units, and the rest in rented accommodation, with host families or in makeshift shelters in the rubble of their damaged or destroyed homes.

In recent years, access to health care has become more restricted for Gaza patients. The Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) relies on the procurement of specialized medical treatment from external health providers to fill gaps in its own health care system. Gaps are acute in Gaza due to the serious shortages in medicines, medical supplies, equipment and trained personnel.

In February, the Israeli authorities demolished 17 structures in the West Bank on the grounds of lack of building permits. All of the targeted structures were livelihood-related or uninhabited, resulting in no displacement. This is the lowest number of demolitions recorded since July 2014 and the first month without demolition-related displacement since August 2011.

During February, Israel extended the withholding of the tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA) for the third successive month in retaliation for Palestinian accession to the International Criminal Court. The potential destabilizing effect of this decision is a major concern since these revenues constitute some 70 per cent of the PA’s budget.