Highlights of the noon briefing by Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General (excerpt on UNRWA and the crisis in Gaza) – 18 July 2024

18 July 2024

(Excerpt)

/ …

Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that active conflict, access constraints, fuel restrictions, the ongoing power blackout, the lack of public order and safety, and other challenges continue to impede the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians who needthe most in Gaza.

OCHA says it is still extremely difficult to access areas north of Wadi Gaza, which requires coordination with the Israeli authorities and passage through an Israeli checkpoint.

During the first 16 days of July, our colleagues coordinated 60 humanitarian missions into the north. Only 24 were facilitated, while 12 were denied access by the Israeli authorities, and 20 others were impeded by Israeli troops on the ground. The remaining four missions were canceled by humanitarian organizations themselves due to logistical, operational or security reasons.

This is preventing aid organizations from gaining regular access to the north, where hundreds of thousands of people need humanitarian assistance. It also makes it impossible for humanitarian workers to manage the flow of supplies into Gaza via the Erez West crossing.

Families across Gaza continue to face dire conditions, with limited access to hygiene and clean water. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that rashes and skin diseases are increasing across the Gaza Strip. Their teams are providing medication, but the agency warns that without improved conditions, the infections invariably return to people.

Currently, just 10 of UNRWA’s 26 health centres in Gaza are still operational. Despite this, UNRWA’s teams continue to risk their lives every day to provide medical care to families and people who need it.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, in its weekly update, our OCHA’s colleagues report that more than 750 Palestinians have been displaced since the beginning of the year, after the Israeli authorities demolished or forced the demolition of their homes due to lack of building permits. For that reason, more than 600 homes and other structures were demolished during that period. OCHA reminds us that permits are rarely granted to Palestinians in Area C and East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, OCHA reports that more than 740 Palestinians were displaced when their homes were damaged or destroyed during Israeli military operations, mostly in refugee camps in the northern part of the West Bank.

/ …