Regional Response to the Crisis in Occupied Palestinian Territory: Situation Report #23 – 18 April 2024 – occupied Palestinian territory

HIGHLIGHTS

• New Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory requests US$2.8 billion to meet the critical needs of over 3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank between April and December 2024. This appeal represents only part of the US$ 4.089 billion that the UN and its partners estimate is required to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.

• As per WHO, an estimated 6,000 critical trauma patients and 3,000 patients with serious chronic conditions need to be urgently evacuated from Gaza.

• Amid relentless bombardment, the decimation of vital services, imminent famine, nearly 90 per cent of all schools and universities in Gaza are destroyed or damaged.

• In an emergency Security Council meeting on 14 April, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged adversaries ‘to step back from the brink’ of a wider conflict. The war in Gaza has triggered regular clashes between Iran’s regional allies– such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis– and Israel.

• The Commissioner-General of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) briefed the Security Council on 17 April as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, telling ambassadors that life-saving deliveries are being blocked by Israel as part of an “insidious campaign” to push it out of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The latest large-scale escalation of conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory on 7 October 2023 has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Intense Israeli bombardment and ground operations as well as heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to be reported across much of the Gaza Strip.

As of 14 April, UNRWA estimates that some 75 per cent of Gaza’s population (1.7 million out of 2.3 million people), more than half of whom are children, are displaced. Most are living in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open. Access to basic services remains severely limited — the lack of food, water, fuel, basic items and poor hygiene practices, further exacerbate people’s living conditions, amplifying protection and mental health risks, as well as the risks associated to the spread of disease. According to UNRWA, as of 14 April, there has been no significant change in the volume of humanitarian supplies entering Gaza or improved access to the north.

During April, an average of 181 aid trucks have crossed into Gaza per day via the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) and Rafah land crossings. This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 trucks per day. On 11 April, UN relief chief said that safety of aid workers and civilians “remains paramount” in Gaza and welcomes all efforts to increase the amount of aid and delivery methods be it sea, air and most importantly by land.

IOM is urgently appealing for USD 69 million to support its response to the rising critical humanitarian needs of hundreds of thousands of civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and neighboring countries affected by the ongoing hostilities. Your support is critical in our mission to deliver emergency aid to displaced families in Gaza and in surrounding countries impacted by the crisis and hostilities.