Publications
On 4 October, a 28-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR) demonstration east of Jabalia (Gaza north), near Israel’s fence with Gaza. Another 20-year-old Palestinian man died on 7 October of wounds sustained during a protest in April 2019. Overall, 210 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed in the GMR protests since they started in March 2018. Also, during the reporting period, 261 Palestinians, including 127 children, were injured by Israeli forces in the protests; 48 people were shot with live ammunition. Israeli sources reported that improvised explosive devices, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli forces, and that there were several attempts to breach the fence; no Israeli casualties were reported. In a statement, issued in advance of the 11 October protest organized around the theme of “Our Child Martyrs”, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the oPt, Jamie McGoldrick, called on Israel and Hamas to protect children, reiterating that “children must never be the target of violence, nor should they be put at risk of violence or encouraged to participate in violence.”
An oPt Humanitarian Fund success story: Ahmed Badawi is a 48-year-old farmer, who provides for his wife and nine children. The family owns about two acres of land, located 400 metres from Israel’s perimeter fence with Gaza, in the Ash Shuja’iyeh of the Gaza Strip. For many years, Israel has restricted the access of Palestinians to areas near the fence, undermining farming. In addition, since 30 March 2018, Palestinians have been demonstrating there, on an almost-weekly basis, as part of the ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR), causing damage to crops in the process.
As we head towards another Friday of demonstrations at the Israeli fence surrounding the Gaza Strip, I am deeply concerned about the impact that the violence at these demonstrations has on children.
On 27 September, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces in a ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR( demonstration, held east of Rafah, near the perimeter fence between Gaza and Israel. Another 441, including 193 children, were injured, including 90 shot with live ammunition. Overall, 210 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed in the GMR protests since they started in March 2018. Israeli sources reported that improvised explosive devices, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli forces, and that there were several attempts to breach the fence during the period.
An oPt Humanitarian Fund success story: Ahmed Badawi is a 48-year-old farmer, who provides for his wife and nine children. The family owns about two acres of land, located 400 metres from Israel’s perimeter fence with Gaza, in the Ash Shuja’iyeh of the Gaza Strip. For many years, Israel has restricted the access of Palestinians to areas near the fence, undermining farming. In addition, since 30 March 2018, Palestinians have been demonstrating there, on an almost-weekly basis, as part of the ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR), causing damage to crops in the process.
Since 30 March 2018, the Gaza Strip has witnessed a significant increase in Palestinian casualties in the context of mass demonstrations and other activities along Israel’s perimeter fence with Gaza, taking place as part of the «Great March of Return» (GMR), as well as during hostilities and access related incidents. The large number of casualties among unarmed Palestinian demonstrators, including a high percentage of demonstrators injured by live ammunition, has raised concerns about excessive use of force by Israeli troops. Exposure of children to violence and lack of protection for medical teams are also of concern. Despite significant assistance provided, addressing the resulting multiple needs of the mass influx of casualties remains challenging due to the lack of funds, years of blockade, the internal Palestinian political divide and a chronic energy crisis.
The Gaza Strip faces a chronic humanitarian crisis, impacting the livelihoods and access to essential services by its two million residents. This crisis has been driven by over 12 years of an Israeli blockade and an unsolved internal Palestinian divide, exacerbated since March 2018 by the massive increase in Palestinian casualties in the context of demonstrations taking place near Israel’s perimeter fence, as well as limited escalations in hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. The following indicators were identified by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) to monitor specific aspects of the crisis, identify areas of further deterioration and trigger humanitarian action.
Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip have undermined the living conditions of about two million Palestinians. Many of the restrictions, originally imposed by Israel in the early 1990s, were intensified after June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the imposition of a blockade and the closure of the Rafah Crossing with Egypt. These restrictions limit access to livelihoods, essential basic services and housing, disrupt family life, and undermine people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future. In recent months, OCHA has witnessed some easing of restrictions such as opening Kerem Shalom crossing on Friday for the entry of Qatari-funded fuel for the Gaza Power Plant (GPP) and an increase in the number of permits issued to business people.
In the Gaza Strip, one Palestinian, aged 15, was killed on 12 April, and around 450 others were injured, in protests that took place near Israel’s perimeter fence in the context of the ‘Great March of Return’ demonstrations. Of all Palestinians injured in the protests during the reporting period, 200 were hospitalized, including 71 injured by live ammunition, according to Palestinian medical sources.
In Gaza, the pollution levels of wastewater discharged to the sea during the first half of 2019 declined by 23 cent compared to 2018. 148 people injured during the Gaza demonstrations since March 2018 have undergone limb amputations, mostly due to bone infections resulting from inadequate treatment. Wave of police raids in Al ‘Isawiya continued during August; less that 2 per cent of people arrested have been indicted.
