Humanitarian Bulletin
Gaza energy crisis further undermines the access of over 49,000 people with disabilities to critical life-saving services and devices. The rate of approval of patients’ applications for exit permits via Israel declined to an average of 53 per cent so far in 2017, compounded by delays in the financial approval for such referrals by the Ramallah-based Ministry of Health. Access of some 1,800 Palestinians in the H2 area of Hebron to services and livelihoods is further restricted due to a new fence and gate installed by the Israeli authorities. Nine educational-related structures seized on the eve of the new school year on grounds of lack of building permits, in three Area C communities, already affected by a coercive environment.
Gaza energy crisis: nearly 40 percent of areas planted with seasonal vegetable crops are at risk due to irregular irrigation; outages of 18-20 hours a day continue to undermine basic services. Funding shortages jeopardize the continuation of shelter cash assistance to about 29,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, still displaced from the 2014 hostilities.
Only 24 per cent of the US$25 million appeal for urgent humanitarian interventions in the Gaza Strip, launched in early July, have been secured so far; ongoing electricity blackouts for 18-20 hours a day. Since the 2014 conflict, UNMAS destroyed 29 metric tonnes of explosive material from 149 unexploded aerial bombs, bringing clearance operations to a close.
This Humanitarian Bulletin coincides with the 50th anniversary of the June 1967 war and the start of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. To mark the occasion, this issue revisits the cases of ten Palestinians who featured in previous OCHA publications, to illustrate some of the enduring humanitarian concerns in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Unless additional funds are provided, fuel reserves for the 186 most critical health, water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip will be exhausted in June.
Approximately 4,000 displaced families in the Gaza Strip have not been allocated any funding for the reconstruction of their homes. Severe access restrictions place some 2,000 Palestinians in the settlement area of Hebron city at risk of forcible transfer. New measures aimed at revoking the residency rights of family members of perpetrators of attacks in East Jerusalem raise concerns over collective punishment. Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, which affected over 100 livestock farms in the Gaza Strip, has been largely controlled.
All structures in Khan al Ahmar - Abu Al Helu, a Palestinian Bedouin community in the Jerusalem governorate, were served with final demolition orders, increasing the risk of a mass forcible transfer. Largest seawater desalination plant in Gaza inaugurated and expected to serve 275,000 people, less than 15% of Gaza’s population. Key measures by humanitarian organizations can mitigate the humanitarian impact of de facto settlement expansion. Eight years after the 2008-2009 (Cast Lead) hostilities in Gaza, victims are still bearing the consequences while lack of accountability persists.
Nearly 1,100 structures demolished or seized by Israeli authorities in 2016 in the West Bank, the highest on record since 2009, and double those of 2015. Over 12,500 final demolition orders outstanding against Palestinian-owned structures across Area C. The oPt Humanitarian Fund allocated $3 million to support 181,000 Palestinians at risk of displacement and/or facing safety hazards due to the winter weather conditions. The expansion of Elon Moreh settlement over privately-owned Palestinian land has severely undermined the livelihoods of three villages in the Nablus area.
During 2016 olive harvest season, Israeli settlers vandalized 210 olive trees down from 801 during the 2015 season. Revenues from the export/transfer of produce out of Gaza in 2016 increased by 80 per cent compared to 2015, half of those recorded in 2007, when the blockade was imposed. About 70 per cent of the requested $ 547 million in donor funding for the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan launched in December target Gaza.The de facto expansion of Talmon-Nahliel settlement bloc has undermined the livelihoods of six nearby Palestinian villages.
Only 16 per cent of the 11,000 homes totally destroyed in 2014 have been rebuilt. Low-lying areas in Gaza face risk of flooding, which could affect up to 500,000 people, as well as 64 schools and 10 health centers. Denial rate for permit applications by UN national staff to enter or leave Ga
