SITUATION REPORT — GAZA STRIP CRISIS
|
Lead agencies |
FAO and WFP |
|
FSS focal point in GS |
Isdud Al Najjar Isdud.alnajjar@foodsecuritycluster. net +972 (0) 592 030 026 |
|
Reporting period |
30 07 to 31 07 2014. |
|
Report number |
18 |
Key figure/Highlights
Local Gaza Bakeries are facing huge challenges to meet the needs as additional bread production capacity is required due to no electricity in homes.
More than 250,000 of Gazans are displaced due to the catastrophic situation of the ongoing military operation.
Less quantities of fresh crops is reported with significant increase of prices for some vegetables. Here below a price comparison in Gaza North Area reported by UAWC:
|
type |
unit |
price (NIS) last week |
Price (NIS) now |
|
Tomatoes |
kg |
2 |
5.0 |
|
Potatoes |
kg |
2 |
3.0 |
|
Cucumber |
kg |
2 |
4.0 |
|
Eggplant |
kg |
1.5 |
2.5 |
|
Pepper |
kg |
5 |
8.0 |
|
Now |
Now |
Change |
||||||||
|
type |
unit |
Oxfam |
UNRWA |
WFP |
Average |
Oxfam |
UNRWA |
WFP |
Average |
% |
|
Tomatoes |
kg |
2 |
1.7 |
1.3 |
1.7 |
5.0 |
6.0 |
2.9 |
4.6 |
+179 |
|
Potatoes |
kg |
2 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
3.0 |
3.3 |
2.2 |
2.8 |
+42 |
|
Cucumber |
kg |
2 |
1.6 |
1.7 |
1.8 |
4.0 |
3.3 |
3.1 |
3.5 |
+99 |
|
Eggplant |
kg |
1.5 |
1.1 |
na |
1.3 |
2.5 |
na |
3.0 |
2.7 |
+109 |
|
Pepper |
kg |
5 |
na |
3.0 |
4.0 |
8.0 |
3.0 |
na |
5.5 |
+38 |
Humanitarian needs
- Approximately 240,000 people hosted at UNRWA, public schools/shelters and other facilities are in need of complementary food and other assistance. As the conflict continues, increased displacement is expected.
- High priority to support thousands of displaced people who are gathered in different informal centres in Gaza City of food, water NFI and other assistance..
- Animal feed for 4,000 breeders/herders should be provided in order to avoid further loss of livestock and additional erosion of livelihood of herder's communities.
- Standard food assistance to 1,150,000 people provided by UNRWA and WFP in collaboration with their partners should continue.
- Humanitarian space to allow provision of food and other emergency assistance to civilian population is urgently needed and it should be guaranteed throughout the conflict.
Humanitarian response
1) IDPs in UNRWA Shelters
Emergency ready-to-eat food on daily basis to about (220,000) displaced people who take refuge in UNRWA shelters are being provided with by UNRWA and WFP. As of July 28 , WFP has diversified the food basket with nutritious fortified biscuits for the children (6 months up to two years) in addition to the regular basket which includes bread, canned meat and milk, halawe, cream cheese, corned beef and vegetables.
2) IDPs in Public Schools
Emergency ready-to-eat food on daily basis to about (12,000) displaced people who take refuge in 12 public schools shelters are being provided by WFP. This includes bread and canned meat.
Complementary food distribution is delivered to IDPs in UNRWA and Public shelters by FSS
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
partners. (Includes food packages and hot meals).
3) IDPs in host communities and informal shelters
Food voucher and food packages are delivered to about 25,000 displaced people with host families and in informal shelters by different FSS partners/members and local institutions.
4) Patients and Hospital staff
An additional food ration is being delivered t to hospitals all over Gaza Strip.
All FSS partners are scaling up their response capacities in order to meet the needs of the newly displaced people. Details of the humanitarian assistance provided by FSS partners are specified in the 4Ws FSS matrix.
Gaps and constraints
- Supply chains in Gaza are already stretched as aid agencies are buying commodities that should be left for Gazan Households. Thus, FSS highly encourages agencies to bring in food aid items from West Bank/outside Gaza Strip.
- The electricity supply will be reduced to a minimum in the whole Gaza strip in the coming weeks/months. This will heavily impact the commercial activities, the milling capacity and the bakeries performance (although priority will be in maintaining health/medical treatment capacity and water supply.
- The level of displacement continues to increase day by day. This massive flow of people is stressing the capacity of adequate shelters in order to assure proper provision of food and other assistance
- The FSS continue to advocate for the immediate cessation of hostilities.
- IDPs in public schools and private shelters need to receive food and other assistance.
- The actual military ground operation is limiting access to food warehouses and put at risk the provision of food commodities for those in need.
- FAO is ready to address the need of 4,000 herders through provision of fodder.
- Immediate emergency funds to cover massively increasingly food needs of displaced people are required.
- Regular emergency food distributions to more than 1 million people is made extremely difficult due to the military operation, increasing the risk of further food insecurity among the Gazan population.
Coordination
- IDPs in UNRWA Shelters — WFP, UNRWA and FSS members are closely coordinating complementary food assistance modalities to displaced families in UNRWA shelters. FSS will create "Needs List" in cooperation with UNRWA to identify what shelters need food and when.
- IDPs in Public Schools — FSS in cooperation with OCHA and local stakeholders is coordinating the most appropriate food assistance to IDPs in 13 schools (public, private, mosque and church).
- IDPs in Hosted communities and informal shelters — more coordination efforts should be exerted among
- all stakeholders and MoSA in order to better address the needs of displaced people as well as maximize the coverage with minimal duplication of assistance.
- When planning distribution of complementary food, FSS recommends to follow the principle to reach the maximum number of beneficiaries balancing therefore the content of the food basket
- It is essential that any stakeholder with the capacity of providing food assistance coordinate with the FSS in order to guarantee the most appropriate distribution of available resources.
- The FSS, through the Logistic Cluster led by WFP, can facilitate the entrance of food commodities into Gaza Strip. Activities related to these commodities will have to be strictly coordinated through the FSS.
- FSS webpage – FSS in oPt webpage is within the global Food Security Cluster portal: http://foodsecuritycluster.net/countries/occupied-palestinian-territory
Document Type: Situation Report, Update
Document Sources: Food Security Sector, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP)
Subject: Armed conflict, Food, Gaza Strip, Health, Humanitarian relief, Internally displaced persons, Living conditions, Poverty, Water
Publication Date: 31/07/2014