UNICEF Humanitarian Situation Report #4 (State of Palestine) April 2016

Reporting Period: 1 – 30 April 2016

Highlights

• During the month of April, the situation remained tense across the State of Palestine, with cases of violence resulting in the injury of 20 Israelis including 2 children, and 70 Palestinians including 24 children.

• Israeli authorities demolished seven structures, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, in different locations. As a result, 191 Palestinians, including 108 children, were affected.

• In March, 6,760 students (57% boys) from Grades 5 and 6 in Gaza benefitted from remedial classes in Arabic language and Mathematics.

• In April, UNICEF-supported Family Centers provided psychosocial support to 59 children, including group and individual counseling. Additionally, 672 children in Gaza (40% girls) received child protection services including through case management and child/parent interaction programs.

• In Gaza, 495 households (approximately 2,970 individuals) had access to improved sanitation services and systems; and 281 households (approximately 1,686 individuals) were connected to upgraded water networks.

• In partnership with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF supported the procurement and distribution of essential pediatric and neonate life­saving drugs and medical consumables, benefitting 21,900 mothers and children.

Situation Overview

During April 2016, the situation remained tense across the State of Palestine, with several cases of violence against individuals and communities, including children, across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Attacks against Palestinians also took place during public demonstrations.

On 18 April, 20 Israelis, including two children, were injured following an explosion in an Israeli public transportation bus in East Jerusalem. On the same day, the Israeli army announced that it had discovered a tunnel running under Gaza into Israel. Following this development the Israeli authorities extended the prohibition of the entry of cement into Gaza for the private sector. This decision is expected to impact on the reconstruction and repair of homes destroyed during the 2014 war, prolonging the precarious living conditions of 75,000 displaced people.

Overall, 70 Palestinians, including 24 children, were injured across the State of Palestine during clashes with Israeli forces. Most of these clashes erupted during protests in the Salfit governorate. A nine-year-old child was also injured during a search and arrest operation in Jit village (Qalqiliya).

Israeli forces lifted the ban, which was imposed on 22 March, on the entry of Palestinian males between 15 and 25-years-old through two checkpoints controlling access to the H2 area of Hebron city. The Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing was closed in both directions during the reporting period. The crossing has been closed, including for humanitarian assistance, since 24 October 2014, except for 42 days of partial openings. Authorities in Gaza indicated that around 30,000 people with urgent needs, including around 3,500 medical cases, are registered to cross.

Israeli authorities demolished seven structures, due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. These include three residential houses under construction in Al Walaja village (Bethlehem); two livelihood structures in Barta'a ash Sharqiya (Jenin); a donor-funded park in Za'tara (Nablus), and a retaining wall near Al Arrub Refugee Camp (Hebron). As a result, 191 Palestinians, including 108 children, were affected.

In the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities delivered at least 30 stop work and demolition orders. If these are executed, more than 1,000 Palestinians, residing in approximately 90 houses, will lose their homes. Palestinian residents of Silwan suffer from overcrowding, inadequate services, and threat of demolition and displacement due to unauthorized construction.

Humanitarian leadership and coordination

UNICEF, as part of the UN Country Team, coordinates with the Palestinian Government to support its role in humanitarian response, early recovery and reconstruction. UNICEF leads the WASH cluster in close cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority and co-leads the Education Cluster with Save the Children in Gaza. At the national level, Education Cluster has transitioned to sector working group, Co-Chaired by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) and UNICEF, responsible for coordinating emergency response. UNICEF also leads the Child Protection Working Group and affiliated groups on Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS), and on Monitoring and Reporting of Grave Violations against children (Children and Armed Conflict reporting mechanism). UNICEF co-leads the Nutrition Working Group under the Health Cluster, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and WFP, in Gaza and at the national level.

UNICEF is leading Cluster transitioning in WASH and Education sectors in the West Bank, through capacity building, towards increased Government ownership and more effective coordination.

In April, UNICEF intensified efforts to coordinate with key actors in relation to emergency preparedness and response, particularly in Gaza. UNICEF and UN inter-agency Contingency Plans are being updated in consultation with partners.

Summary Analysis of Programme Response per Sector

Education and Adolescents

In the West Bank, UNICEF continued to protect 4,334 children and 333 teachers from harassment and risk of violence on their way to and from school. Protective presence and accompaniment is provided in partnership with the international NGOs (INGO) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine (EAPPI) and Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).

In partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), UNICEF supported the organization of remedial classes in Arabic language and Mathematics, benefitting 6,760 students (57% boys) from 113 schools (grades 5 and 6) in Gaza. UNICEF contributed to the provision of school supplies, development and printing of education materials for all target schools, and training of 113 school principals in Gaza.

The Adolescent Development and Participation programme (ADAP) continued to provide adolescents with trainings on social entrepreneurship and life skills, and youth-centred campaigns promoting dialogue on conflict resolution, as well as peace and social cohesion. In April, 34 adolescents from the West Bank (70% girls) have benefitted from the ADAP programme through the provision of trainings on how to design and coordinate youth-led initiatives in their communities.¹ The training was provided in coordination with the national NGO Tamer. In Gaza, in partnership with the national NGO Ma'an Development Centre, UNICEF supported the organization of 39 school-based awareness raising initiatives, sensitizing 230,254 adolescents on a wide range of adolescents' rights and issues, including: child marriage, domestic violence, and school drop outs.

Child Protection

In April, Israeli Security Forces arrested 57 children. A total of 267 children were arrested since the start of 2016.

In partnership with the national NGO Ma'an Development Centre, the Tamer Institution for Community Education, and the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (PCDCR), UNICEF continued to support the network of 28 Family Centers in Gaza. In April, the Family Centers provided psychosocial support to 59 children, including group and individual counseling. Additionally, 672 children in Gaza (40% girls) received child protection services including case management and child/parent interaction programs. The Ma'an Development Centre and the Tamer Institution for Community Education organized awareness raising sessions for caregivers on protection of their children and positive discipline, benefitting 1,288 caregivers (60% men) at the community level in Gaza.

In cooperation with the NGO Child Frontiers and the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA), UNICEF completed the child protection data mapping in seven governorates (three in Gaza and four in the West Bank). The objective of this initiative is to identify gaps in the child protection service delivery system, and entry points to strengthen the social welfare sector. The presentation of the mapping findings to the Child Protection partners will take place in mid-May. UNICEF and MOSA will use the mapping results to develop an action plan guiding 2016-2017 programming.

In partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), UNICEF identified six UNRWA schools that will participate in the "Know your rights" programme. The purpose of this initiative is to sensitize children about their rights, and help them build coping strategies and resilience against violence. In April, 1,200 children from two UNRWA schools (Shu'fat and Aida Girls and Boys, grade 7-10) attended the "Know your rights" sessions. This programme will continue in May in order to reach the remaining four UNRWA schools. This project prioritizes children and adolescents living in the refugee camps most affected by episodes of violence with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including cases of stabbing carried out by young refugees.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

In Gaza, UNICEF in coordination with the Coastal Municipality Water Utility (CMWU) continued the rehabilitation of the Jumaizat AlSabeel sewage pumping station. In April, CMWU completed the installation of the pipelines. The remaining works will be finalized by mid-June, based on the revision of the technical drawings. This project will provide an estimated 120,000 people living in the surrounding communities with improved water.

Progress was made to reconstruct the three wells in Khan Younis, Maghazi and Dier AlBalah which had been destroyed during the last war in Gaza. In coordination with CMWU, excavation works were completed in Khan Younis.² Electromechanical works, including the installation of well pumps, have started in all three wells and will continue until July-August 2016.

In partnership with CMWU, UNICEF continued the rehabilitation of the wastewater networks in Khan Younis and Rafah. In April, 2,527 meters of UPVC pipes have been installed benefitting 495 households. Since the start of 2016, almost 80% of the works have been completed, including 13,007 meters of UPVC pipes; to date, 721 households have access to improved sanitation services and systems.

In Nusseirat and Rafah, UNICEF and CMWU completed 80% of the works for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the water lines and water networks, installing 8,440 meter pipes. This project will be completed end of June. Since the start of 2016, 581 households (50% of the original target) have been connected to the improved water networks.

In the West Bank and North Jordan Valley, UNICEF has rehabilitated 40 water cisterns³ (100% of the original target) in partnership with the international NGO Action Contre le Faim (ACF). In April, 314 individuals (46 households) had access to improved water distribution and storage⁴. In close coordination with the community council leaders, UNICEF and ACF provided guidance to the beneficiary families on how to maintain the cisterns.

To increase access to safe drinking water in the North Jordan Valley, UNICEF and ACF started the rehabilitation and extension of the existing water networks, covering 70% of the works as of April. This intervention is expected to be completed in May, benefitting 2,854 people living in 14 communities.⁵

Child Health & Nutrition

To address priority needs identified in the Micronutrient Survey Report⁶, UNICEF supported the Ministry of Health through the procurement of micronutrients supplements for Gaza and the West Bank. These supplies were distributed in April to 38 primary healthcare centers, in partnership with the national NGO Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) and the Ministry of Health. In April, 21,841 pregnant and lactating women (14,341 in Gaza and 7,500 in the West Bank) received micronutrient supplementation in all 550 targeted health facilities. In addition, 9,597 under-five children (49% girls) benefitted from the distribution of micronutrients supplements, including Vitamin A.

To ensure access to quality care, UNICEF provided essential pediatric and neonate life-saving drugs and medical consumables to the emergency department of the Shiffa Hospital and neonatal care unit of the Khan Youni Hospital in Gaza. In April, 21,900 mothers and children benefitted from the distribution of these supplies as part of the primary healthcare package for pre-and post-natal care.

In Gaza, UNICEF continued to partner with the national NGOs Near East Council of Churches (NECC), Arl Al Insan and Union of Health Workers Committee (UHWC) to prevent child malnutrition. About 6,911 children (48% girls) received screening services in hospitals and health centers to detect, prevent and manage acute and severe malnutrition. This resulted in 403 children under five receiving ready to use therapeutic food and /or supplementary food with 100 percent recovery rate.

In coordination with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF supported the organization of awareness raising and counselling sessions on exclusive breastfeeding at the primary and secondary healthcare level in Gaza and the West Bank. This resulted in 5,669 mothers who gained new knowledge about breastfeeding, infant young child feeding practices, personal hygiene and communicable diseases prevention. In addition, 889 women received counselling on mother’s health through postnatal home visits.

In April, UNICEF completed the First Aid Training programme. During the reporting period, 60 health staff and school officers in Gaza attended the Training. Overall, 520 medical and school staff have better knowlede of first aid principles and tools, exceeding the original target (500 healthcare workers).⁷

Summary of Programme Results

Funding

Meeting the humanitarian and development needs of affected children and families in the State of Palestine will contribute to saving lives, reducing the suffering of the affected population and increasing resilience. The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which is part of the Global Humanitarian Overview, was launched on 10 February 2016 in Ramallah and on 9 March in Gaza. The HRP appeals for US$ 571 million, of which US$ 32 million requested from UNICEF, for a range of interventions described in the HRP project sheets.¹⁵

The 2016 Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) document also includes four additional projects (WASH and Education), which were not included in the HRP. For this reason UNICEF's total required funding in the HAC is higher than the total amount required through the HRP project sheets. During the reporting period, US$ 7 million were received against UNICEF's approved project sheets in the HRP. To date, the overall funding gap is 71%.

Next Sit Rep: 14 June 2016

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¹ To avoid double counting, the Situation Report provides the number of newly reached adolescents on a monthly basis. UNICEF continues to support over 43,700 adolescents who benefitted from the Adolescent programme in 2015 (quoted figure from: UNICEF State of Palestine, Situation Report; period: 1-31 December 2015).

² As per March Situation Report: excavation works were completed in Maghazi and Dier AlBalah.

³ Twenty cisterns of 145 cubic meter capacity and twenty units of 190.5 cubic meter volume.

⁴ 131 individuals benefitted from the rehabilitation of 145 cubic meter tanks, and 183 people from the rehabilitation of 190.5 cubic meter tanks.

⁵ Six communities will benefit from the rehabilitation of water networks. Eight communities will have increased access to water through the establishment of transmission pipelines and filling points.

⁶ Palestinian Micronutrient Survey (PMS), 2013.

⁷ The original target of this activity was 500 participants: 110 from Primary health care clinics and 390 health officers at governmental schools (300 men and 200 women).

⁸ The Cluster results will be updated on a quarterly basis as agreed with the respective Clusters/Sections.

⁹ The number of people in need has been calculated based on previous years' baseline.

¹⁰ Total number of grave violations reported between January and April 2016 and verified as of 6 May 2016.

¹¹ The Education Cluster partners plan to provide the bulk of teaching and learning supplies during the second half of 2016, with the start of the new academic year in September.

¹² The number of people in need was estimated based on the 2016 HRP and/or other sources, including data collected by clusters/Working Groups. Some figures are being verified (tbv) in consultation with partners and clusters.

¹³ To avoid double counting, the Situation Report provides the number of newly reached adolescents on a monthly basis. UNICEF continues to support over 43,700 adolescents who benefitted from the Adolescent programme in 2015 (quoted figure from: UNICEF State of Palestine, Situation Report; period: 1-31 December 2015).

¹⁴ The number of people in need has been calculated based on previous years' baseline.