External Situation Report #20

5 August 2014

Highlights

  • The Logistics Cluster is now active and has opened up three new staging areas in Ashqelon, Jerusalem and in Hebron. The staging areas will be used to carry out cargo consolidation and palletisation before shipment to Gaza. The Cluster also secured three new warehouses for the use of partners in Gaza – in Rafah, the Middle Area and in Khan Younis.
  • On 6 August, WFP called a coordination meeting with the Minister of Social Affairs in Ramallah, bringing together Food Security Sector partners, UN partners and government donors to ensure a coherent, coordinated and efficient response and enhanced private sector engagement.
  • WFP and UNRWA launched a large scale bread distribution, purchasing bread in Jerusalem and the West Bank and transporting it to Gaza. This has relieved the pressure on Gaza bakeries which saw a threefold increase in bread customers following electricity cuts which left people unable to bake bread at home. The bread shipments have helped to reduce the pressure on Gaza bakers who had customers waiting for four hours for bread. As people are able to find ways to bake bread and the pressure on Gaza bakeries reduces, this programme will also be reduced so as not to interfere with the market.
  • On 5 August, WFP reached a total of 329,117 conflict affected people in Gaza with emergency food assistance while on 6 August, after the cease fire appeared to be holding, the figure of total assisted people went down to 263,844. Emergency relief includes:
  • Emergency electronic food vouchers to 4,000 displaced families – approximately 24,000 people – who are living with host families. The voucher modality is being rapidly scaled up as new families are identified as in need and who live in proximity to functioning markets and have access to cooking facilities.
  • Emergency ready-to-eat food for 221,714 displaced people who have taken refuge in UNRWA schools used as shelters and to 16,091 people that are sheltered in government shelters.
  • A total of 2,039 patients and staff in hospitals continue to be assisted with emergency food rations.

Situation Update

  • Following the announcement of the 72-hours  ceasefire, WFP has started its regular in-kind  food distributions in Gaza targeting 85,000  people. UNWRA is also launching its regular  distributions.
  • An estimated 63,000 people will not be able  to return to their homes and will be in need of  food and other assistance.

Rossella Fanelli

Head of External Relations

Email: Rossella.fanelli@wfp.org

Tel: [+972] 2 5401340 2210

Yasmine Abuelassal

Donor Relations

Email: Yasmin.abuelassal@wfp.org

Tel: [+972] 2 5401340 2215

Colin Kampschöer

Reports Officer

Email: Colin.kampschoer@wfp.org

Tel: [+972] 54 677 3136


Document symbol: WFPSitRpt_060814
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/WFPSitRpt_060814.pdf
Document Type: Situation Report, Update
Document Sources: World Food Programme (WFP)
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Food, Gaza Strip, Health, Humanitarian relief, Internally displaced persons
Publication Date: 06/08/2014