UNICEF in the State of Palestine Escalation Humanitarian Situation Report No.22 (Reporting Period: 21 March – 03 April 2024)

12 April 2024

Highlights

84 per cent of all health facilities and 62 per cent of all homes in the Gaza Strip are either damaged or destroyed by the ongoing hostilities, as reported in the World Bank/EU/UN Gaza Interim Damage Assessment. It also found that around 57 per cent of water infrastructure has been destroyed or partially damaged. The current water production capacity is estimated at below five per cent of the usual output, and progressively decreases every day.

350,000 people with chronic disease have no or extremely limited access to their medications and essential medical procedures such as dialysis, according to HelpAge. Regarding diseases of epidemic potential, cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and acute water diarrhoea (AWD) are the top two reported diseases, according to UNRWA’s weekly epidemiologic surveillance.

UNICEF distributed 19,800 collapsible jerrycans; 15,800 buckets; 4,000 diapers; 990 hygiene kits; and 30 bladders for safe water storage benefitting 35,600 people including children, women and adolescent girls in the Gaza Strip.

UNICEF has moved 34 trucks into the Gaza Strip in the past two weeks with critical emergency supplies such as 4,400 packs of baby diapers; 2,272 packs of hygiene kits; 15,905 sets of winter clothes; 1,250 cartons of nutritional food to fight malnutrition; 16,800 collapsible 10 litre water containers as well as two water treatment plants with tools and accessories.

In the West Bank, UNICEF continued psychosocial first aid (PFA), mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), awareness sessions and legal services to 727 people, including 459 children and 268 caregivers.