WFP Gaza Emergency, 22 July 2014 – WFP situation report #14

External Situation Report #14 22/July/2014

Highlights

WFP continues to urgently procure additional ready-to-eat food. Food is being procured locally and is being airlifted from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Dubai.
WFP is providing emergency assistance to approximately 111,600 people affected by the conflict in Gaza. This is in addition to the 285,000 people WFP reaches regularly with food assistance. The emergency relief includes:
- Emergency ready-to-eat food for 101,684 displaced people in Gaza that have taken refuge in UNRWA schools used as shelters and to 1,600 people that are sheltered in public school buildings.
- Emergency electronic food vouchers to 1,063 displaced families – approximately 6,378 people – who are living with host families.
- A total of 2,039 patients and staff in hospitals continue to be assisted with emergency food rations.

Situation Update

WFP's current stock of bread, canned meat and milk, can meet the food needs of 100,000 people for a total of 5 days. Additional food is being transported to Gaza in the next days, including 3 mt of High Energy Biscuits, which have been airlifted from Dubai.
To meet the needs in the next 15 days, WFP requires 1,900 mt of additional food.
As soon as security conditions permit, WFP will distribute an additional 30 emergency voucher cards to displaced families.

WFP Response

Emergency response:

WFP and UNRWA have a protocol to reach people in emergencies regardless of refugee status, but all beneficiaries are crosschecked against WFP's and UNRWA's existing programme caseload. Currently about two-thirds of the new emergency caseload are families who were on WFP's or UNRWA's existing food assistance programme, which provides 40 percent to
60 percent of daily food requirements depending on beneficiary needs and type of programme. WFP's plan is to continue reaching all affected people with emergency food while they are displaced, in coordination with UNRWA, and to provide a one month 'return food voucher' when the situation stabilizes. Following that, all beneficiaries will return to the normal WFP or UNRWA lists.
WFP assists approximately 101,684 displaced people in UNRWA shelters with emergency food rations. To diversify the food that people receive, UNRWA has started providing additional food items as of 20 July. The number of displaced people in shelters has now, as of 22 July, reached approximately 118,300. WFP will scale-up its assistance to meet the needs of the newly displaced people.
WFP distributes emergency food rations to 1,600 displaced people at four government schools.
In cooperation with Oxfam GB, WFP is distributing emergency food vouchers to displaced families who are staying in host communities. A total of 1,063 families (6,378 people) have been reached with vouchers. WFP is planning to reach additional families with vouchers. All families receive a voucher with a monthly value of 240 NIS, or 60 NIS per week. As of today, beneficiaries are able to purchase products, such as water and sanitary kits, following a newly launched WFP-UNICEF partnership. A total of 511 out of 685 families have redeemed their voucher today, with 76 percent of the people purchasing non-food items, such as water and sanitation products.
The provision of emergency food vouchers to fisherman who have been deprived of their livelihoods as a result of the conflict, as well as to farmers, is under discussion with the Food Security Sector.
WFP is reaching approximately 2,040 patients and hospital staff emergency food rations. The ready-to-eat rations will be replaced with rations which can be cooked in hospital kitchens.

General food distributions:

Security conditions do not allow WFP to push back the July-August distribution cycle in Gaza and to start this week. Distributions will instead start in the first week of August, according to the initial plan.

Food voucher programme:

Approximately 35 percent of the families have redeemed their voucher today, noting that households can redeem the amount of their vouchers till the end of the month.

Monitoring

Due to the current security situation in Gaza, WFP's monitoring activities have been restricted to remote monitoring, mostly via telephone calls to traders and shops.

Basic commodities:

No major price changes have been reported for basic commodities.
All types of vegetables are available, but in less quantities because farmers cannot access their lands due to the security situation. Prices of some vegetables have gone up, such as for tomatoes, cucumbers and lemons.

Wheat and bakeries:

There are approximately fifty bakeries in Gaza and half of these bakeries do not operate due to the difficulties in accessing their premises, while operating bakeries have wheat stocks for at least one week.
Fuel stock at WFP contracted bakeries: Al Bann has a stock to cover at least 20 days, Ajour has a stock that covers the needs for 30 days, and Al Jonoub bakery has a stock to cover their needs for at least 30 days.
Four out of six mills in Gaza are closed due to security reasons because there is no access to their premises. The mills are located in the in the eastern, northern and middle areas. The total stock of wheat for these mills is 3,150 mt.

Dairy products:

WFP Gaza Emergency, 22 July 2014 – WFP situation report #14

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