Assistance to the Palestinian people – Secretary-General Report (A/79/85-E/2024/60)

20 May 2024

Assistance to the Palestinian people

Report of the Secretary-General

Summary

The present report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 78/121, contains an assessment of the assistance received by the Palestinian people during the reporting period (1 April 2023–31 March 2024). It provides a description of the efforts made by the United Nations, in cooperation with the Government of the State of Palestine, donors and civil society, to support Palestinian people and institutions.

The attack by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent large-scale military operations conducted by Israel in Gaza, coupled with increased violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have had a significant impact on assistance efforts.

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 78/121, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it, at its seventy-ninth session, through the Economic and Social Council, a report on the implementation of the resolution, containing an assessment of the assistance actually received by the Palestinian people, as well as an assessment of the needs still unmet and specific proposals for responding effectively to them. The reporting period is from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
2. Information on the political, humanitarian and socioeconomic situation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is provided in several periodic reports prepared by United Nations entities and submitted to various United Nations bodies, including the monthly Security Council briefings by the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process; the reports of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016); the report of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan; the annual report of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and the biannual reports of the Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of the International Assistance to Palestinians.
3. The horrific attack by Hamas and other armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent large-scale military operations conducted by Israel in Gaza have resulted in unprecedented loss of life and destruction. Meanwhile, violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, increased at alarming levels. As at 31 March 2024, an estimated 3.3 million Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory required humanitarian assistance, including the entire population of Gaza, which faced acute food insecurity. With 84 per cent of health facilities damaged or destroyed and a lack of electricity and water to operate the remaining facilities, the population has minimal access to health care, medicine or life-saving treatments.
4. Since the onset of Israeli military operations after 7 October, the priority of the United Nations and humanitarian partners has been to scale up humanitarian assistance in Gaza, with a focus on immediate life-saving needs. On 6 November, the updated flash appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory sought $1.229 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people for the period from October to December 2023, and was later extended until March 2024. A new flash appeal for 2024 is seeking $2.8 billion to address the most urgent needs of 3.1 million people. The financial needs of UNRWA are included in this appeal.
5. An interim damage assessment carried out by the World Bank and the United Nations, in partnership with the European Union, estimates the cost of direct damages to critical infrastructure in Gaza at about $18.5 billion. Based on remote data collection, this figure includes physical damage and accounts neither for economic and social losses nor for financing needs for recovery and reconstruction, which are expected to be considerably higher.
6. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023–2025 for the State of Palestine, which was signed with the Palestinian Authority in December 2022, has been reprioritized to reflect the changed country context since October 2023. A future conflict recovery framework, based on a comprehensive damage and needs assessment, is expected to serve as the planning and coordination document for reconstruction and guide the development work of the United Nations country team in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
7. Throughout the reporting period, the Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process continued its engagement with various stakeholders to de‑escalate tensions, address the complex and dire situation on the ground and work towards establishing a political horizon for ending the occupation and achieving a two-State solution, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements.

II. Overview of the current situation

A. Political context

8. The reporting period saw the worst escalation of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948. On 7 October, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a large-scale armed attack on Israel. By the end of the reporting period, the military response by Israel had rendered much of Gaza uninhabitable, with tens of thousands killed, a majority of them reportedly women and children, famine imminent in the north, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification for March 2024, and 1.7 million Palestinians displaced. The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, also witnessed intensified violence and the highest number of fatalities in years, with a significant rise in the intensity of Israeli security operations, often involving heavy exchanges with armed Palestinians, Palestinian attacks against Israelis and unprecedented rates of settler violence. Meanwhile, long-standing negative trends continued, including settlement expansion, fiscal and legitimacy crises facing the Palestinian Authority and the continued absence of a political process to resolve the conflict.
9. On 7 October, Hamas and other armed groups launched an air, sea and land attack from Gaza against Israel Defense Forces bases and Israeli border communities, killing some 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals, including over 280 women, 39 children and 387 security forces personnel. Some 253 people, including 65 women and 34 children, were abducted and taken into Gaza by Hamas and other groups. Approximately 134 hostages, including 19 women, are still being held in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Israelis were internally displaced.
10. During the reporting period, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, over 32,782 Palestinians were killed and over 75,298 were wounded, mostly women and children.
11. On 6 December, the Secretary-General invoked Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, identifying the hostilities in Gaza as a threat to international peace and security. On 15 November and 22 December, the Security Council adopted resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023), respectively, demanding compliance by all parties with their obligations under international law, including with regard to the protection of civilians, the release of all hostages and the safe, unhindered and significantly increased delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. In its resolution 2720 (2023), the Council also requested the appointment of a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza and the establishment of a United Nations mechanism for accelerating the provision of humanitarian relief. On 25 March, the Council adopted resolution 2728 (2024), demanding an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and reiterating the need for humanitarian access to Gaza.
12. Israeli settlement expansion increased throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where 7,920 settlement housing units were advanced or approved, compared with 5,000 in the previous reporting period. In Area C, 13,150 settlement housing units were advanced or approved, compared with 12,860 in the previous reporting period. On 18 June, the Government of Israel removed the requirement for ministerial approval at interim stages of settlement planning and delegated this authority to the Additional Minister in the Ministry of Defence. On 22 March, Israel declared close to 2,000 acres of Area C as State land, paving the way for potential planning of the area for settlement expansion. The seizure and demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continued. Citing the absence of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Israeli authorities seized, demolished or forced the demolition of 891 Palestinian structures, 70 of which were donor-funded, leading to the displacement of 1,029 people, including 497 children.
13. Violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which was already at a high level throughout the reporting period, increased sharply after 7 October, with the highest number of Palestinian fatalities recorded since the United Nations started systematically counting fatalities in 2005. A total of 550 Palestinians (including 409 men, 4 women, 135 boys and 2 girls) were killed, 534 of them by Israeli security forces in the context of military operations, often including exchanges with armed Palestinians. Those figures represent a 159 per cent increase in the number of Palestinians killed, which stood at 212 for the previous reporting period. Twelve Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers and three were killed by either Israeli settlers or forces, more than twice the number recorded in the previous reporting period and the highest since 2015. During the same period, 31 Israelis were killed in the West Bank and in Israel, including 4 children, 8 women and 7 soldiers, in attacks perpetrated by Palestinians from the West Bank. This represents a decrease compared with the 33 Israelis killed during the previous reporting period. The number includes two cases involving fire by Israeli security forces and one case where the source of the fire was not determined.
14. On 29 January, the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, Mohammad Shtayeh, announced governance reforms centred on improving accountability, enhancing revenue and upgrading services. On 26 February Mr. Shtayeh presented the resignation of his Government to the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas. On 31 March, a new technocratic Government led by a new Prime Minister, Mohammad Mustafa, was sworn in.
15. Throughout the reporting period, the United Nations and its regional and international partners continued to mediate and de-escalate tensions and urge Israelis and Palestinians to take concrete actions to restore a political horizon for ending the occupation and achieving a viable two-State solution. The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process intensified international and regional engagements to prevent a further spillover of conflict and secure the release of all hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire, and made efforts to promote constructive diplomatic engagement with all relevant parties to help to address the humanitarian emergency in Gaza, help to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, and encourage progress towards a negotiated two-State solution.

B. Humanitarian and socioeconomic context

Economic and fiscal developments

16. The Palestinian economy remained severely constrained by challenges related to the protracted military occupation by Israel and the outbreak of conflict on 7 October. Prior to that date, ongoing Israeli closures and restrictions by the Government of Israel on the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza, including restrictions on the export of fish and agricultural products, were projected to result in a contraction of the economy, while limiting projected gross domestic product (GDP) growth for both the West Bank and Gaza to 3 per cent for 2023.
17. Since 7 October, the economic situation has drastically worsened. Economic activity has contracted by more than 80 per cent in Gaza and by more than 22 per cent in the West Bank. The GDP of the State of Palestine contracted by 6 per cent in 2023, with a further contraction of 6 per cent projected for 2024. Job losses among Palestinian workers unable to access their places of employment in Israel due to increased movement restrictions and the closure of crossings into Israel, restrictions on Israeli commercial activity in the West Bank, and increased deductions by the Government of Israel from the clearance revenue that it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority resulted in daily economic losses of more than $20 million. In the last quarter of 2023, Palestinian trade was projected to decline by 33 per cent, household consumption by 33 per cent and value-added production by 39 per cent.
18. Estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) indicate that, by the end of January 2024, 201,000 jobs had been lost in Gaza. This includes an estimated 90 per cent reduction in private sector employment, a 15 per cent reduction in the public sector and a complete loss of employment for the 20,000 Gazans previously employed in Israel. In the West Bank, approximately 306,000 jobs have been lost, including a 25 per cent job loss in private sector employment. In total, job losses translate into daily labour income losses of $21.7 million.

Humanitarian developments

19. As at 31 March 2024, 3.3 million Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory needed humanitarian assistance, a dramatic increase from the 2.1 million Palestinians identified as requiring assistance in January 2023.
20. The magnitude of the humanitarian crisis and the rapidly deepening needs in Gaza are unprecedented, with the entire population facing high levels of acute food insecurity. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis released in March 2024, without a significant scaling up of food assistance, more than 1 million people in Gaza are projected to face catastrophic levels of food insecurity by the end of May 2024, and famine in the northern part of Gaza is imminent. Starvation-related fatalities have already been reported. Up to 1.7 million people, or over 75 per cent of the population of Gaza, have been displaced, some of them multiple times. Approximately 62 per cent of all homes in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed as at the end of January 2024, leaving people to shelter in dangerously crowded and unsanitary conditions. As at 31 March 2024, a mere 10 out of 36 hospitals were functional in Gaza, and only partially so. Since 7 October, none of the approximately 625,000 children in Gaza have been able to attend school as a result of the conflict. An estimated 56 school facilities had been destroyed and 219 had been damaged as at the end of January 2024.
21. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, movement restrictions, protection concerns and the fiscal implications of the conflict reduced access to education for at least 782,000 students, with most schools run by the Palestinian Authority shifting to hybrid teaching. Budgetary constraints and heightened access barriers significantly limited the provision of health services through mobile clinics. In Area C, 120 out of 172 locations reliant upon mobile clinics remain accessible.
22. Protection concerns remained central to humanitarian operations. Priority protection risks, particularly after 7 October, included death or serious injury, explosive ordnance contamination and exposure to explosive remnants of war. Family separation also emerged as an urgent concern as an estimated 17,000 children in Gaza were left unaccompanied as a result of the conflict. Gender-based violence risks have been severely exacerbated due to extremely overcrowded shelters and informal settlements in Gaza. Risks associated with sexual exploitation and abuse and with safeguarding have grown significantly, highlighting the need for increased prevention and accountability in Gaza. During the reporting period, the joint helpline dedicated to mental health and psychosocial support and to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse responded to 66,208 calls and provided 28,228 counselling sessions. In addition, 109,328 children and their caregivers in Gaza attended awareness sessions on safeguarding and on the prevention of exploitation.

Movement, humanitarian access and operational space

23. Humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be hampered by the imposition by Israel of physical obstacles (such as the barrier, checkpoints, roadblocks and gates), administrative barriers (such as the building permit regime), restrictions on movement and access of personnel and restrictions on movement of goods into and out of Gaza, the Israeli closures and increased insecurity. These restrictions affected access to East Jerusalem and other areas between the barrier and the Green Line. After October 2023, Israel imposed several additional restrictions. From 9 to 21 October, Israeli authorities ordered a full siege of Gaza that included shutting off water (some connection points were subsequently reopened) and electricity supplied by Israel, as well as restricting the entry of all imports, including food and fuel. The sole power plant in Gaza has not been in operation since 11 October.
24. Humanitarian access to Gaza has been significantly restricted and extremely difficult. About 92 per cent of primary roads have been destroyed or damaged; internal movement is limited to certain roads and checkpoints; and the communications infrastructure is seriously impaired, further hampering the delivery of aid. Moreover, airstrikes, shelling and the use of rockets have resulted in widespread contamination with explosive remnants of war.
25. The safety of humanitarian operations has been degraded to an alarming extent. Between 7 October and 31 March, 174 United Nations staff were killed in Gaza. Inconsistencies in movement coordination and humanitarian notifications and the lack of approval for sufficient communications equipment and armoured vehicles made humanitarian work exceedingly dangerous.
26. After 7 October, Israel increased restrictions on the movement of Palestinians across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, most of which remain in place. These restrictions also apply to the Palestinian staff of United Nations agencies and non‑governmental organizations (NGOs) holding West Bank identity documents, who have not been allowed by Israel to enter East Jerusalem to access their duty stations. At the same time, many international staff are facing difficulties in obtaining the visas required to perform their work.
27. Prior to 7 October, the fishing zone off the Gaza coast remained at about 15 nautical miles in the south, 12 nautical miles in the middle area and 6 nautical miles in the north. Since the launch of military operations in Gaza, Israeli military authorities have prohibited fishing off the coast of Gaza, further contributing to food insecurity, with reports of some fishing activities being limited in practice to very close to the shore.

Barrier

28. The United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established pursuant to General Assembly resolution ES-10/17, continued its outreach and claim intake activities to “serve as a record, in documentary form, of the damage caused to all natural and legal persons concerned as a result of the construction of the wall by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem”. Since the establishment of the Register of Damage in December 2007, more than 73,700 claims and over 1.5 million supporting documents have been collected in all nine governorates and in 269 of the 271 Palestinian communities affected by the constructed section of the wall.

III. United Nations response

A. Human and social development

29. The United Nations continued to coordinate and deliver humanitarian and development assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, pivoting most of its work in Gaza and in the West Bank, after October 2023, to account for the drastically changed country context and increased needs. Some of that assistance was targeted at Palestinian individuals and communities in areas beyond the reach of the Palestinian Authority, including East Jerusalem and Area C in the occupied West Bank, and Gaza.

Education

30. Since the start of the 2023/24 school year, UNRWA has provided primary education to 298,927 students (144,666 girls and 154,261 boys) in 288 elementary and preparatory schools in Gaza, and to 45,195 students (27,463 girls and 17,732 boys) in 96 elementary and preparatory schools in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In Gaza, the first semester has been suspended since 7 October.
31. During the 2023/24 school year, UNRWA provided technical and vocational education and training to 1,078 students (452 male and 626 female) in the West Bank. In addition, 692 students (87 male and 605 female) were enrolled in the Agency’s Education Science Faculty for teacher training in the West Bank.
32. In the West Bank, two new schools were under construction by UNRWA.
33. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) helped the Ministry of Education to improve access to quality, safe and inclusive education services, supporting over 300,000 children and adolescents, including 157,000 girls.
34. UNICEF and the World Bank jointly supported new teacher training manuals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and established clubs in those fields in 100 schools, benefiting 5,898 students in grades 7 to 11, 3,338 of whom were girls.
35. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) continued to support improved access to quality education for over 10,500 students in East Jerusalem, including by expanding education facilities to address classroom shortages. A new technical and vocational education and training school was established in East Jerusalem.
36. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established three youth-led technical and vocational education and training innovation hubs benefiting 976 young people (655 of whom were female) and resulting in 23 new start-ups.
37. UNESCO provided stationery and recreational kits to 810 students from 18 schools in the West Bank that have either been demolished or are at risk of demolition.
38. UNESCO conducted Arabic and mathematics classes for 4,499 students (including 1,694 girls) in Gaza and provided training on pedagogical methods to 239 principals, teachers and academic supervisors.
39. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) commenced design works for the construction of the new Yatta vocational school for 240 students.
40. From April to October, the Mine Action Service trained 18,693 persons in Gaza, who were at risk of being harmed by explosive remnants of war. Approximately 1 million people were reached by a risk education social media and radio campaign. After October 2023, the Service launched another campaign, reaching approximately 1.2 million people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Health

41. The World Health Organization (WHO) continued to promote universal health coverage and the right to health by strengthening the health-care system, monitoring barriers to health-care access and monitoring attacks against health care and policies and practices that affect health rights.
42. WHO continued to enhance health information systems, support policy development, including by updating the five-year national mental health strategy and developing a gender-based violence protocol and a new cancer strategy, assess the performance of the primary health-care system, promote family practice and support the Ministry of Health in analysing financial risk protection.
43. WHO, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supported the Ministry of Health in scaling up sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health-care services. WHO and UNFPA also supported the implementation of a system to strengthen maternal, neonatal and early childhood health in Gaza.
44. In Gaza, between April and October, UNRWA conducted approximately 1.4 million face-to-face primary health-care patient consultations at its 22 health-care facilities, and about 175,000 telemedicine consultations. In the West Bank, the Agency carried out 746,996 consultations at its 43 health-care facilities.
45. In Gaza, throughout the reporting period, UNICEF provided essential medical supplies to the Ministry of Health, benefiting over 398,000 individuals. In total, 93,231 children and women accessed primary health care in UNICEF-supported facilities. In the West Bank, UNICEF reinforced health service provision through the rehabilitation of primary health-care facilities in the most vulnerable governorates and enhanced maternal, neonatal and child health services to serve 70,000 people. Over 55,000 people received medical supplies, equipment, training and enhanced access to quality services.
46. UNICEF undertook infrastructure rehabilitation for three primary health-care facilities in Hebron Governorate, covering 55,000 people in Bayt Kahil, Dura and Ayn Sarah.
47. UNFPA trained 862 health and social service providers (265 male, 597 female) on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence while providing youth-friendly health services in five Palestinian universities to 5,896 young persons (3,068 female, 2,828 male) and supporting 970 young persons (557 female, 413 male) in gaining access to pre-marriage counselling services.
48. UNDP continued to support the East Jerusalem hospital network, including the residency programme for trained doctors from the West Bank. A digital patient care evaluation system was introduced in 15 government hospitals in the West Bank, as well as three private hospitals in East Jerusalem. The health-care system was also strengthened through the development of a new insurance scheme for uninsured Palestinians, the introduction of a medical malpractice insurance system and the launch of a solar energy investment plan.

Water and sanitation

49. In Gaza, throughout the reporting period, UNICEF supported over 284,000 children and their families with improved safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
50. In Gaza, before October 2023, UNICEF had completed the expansion phase of the desalination plant and stormwater and flood protection initiative. In the West Bank, it supported the construction of a water network in Yatta, Hebron Governorate.
51. In Gaza, after October 2023, UNICEF supported enhanced waste management for approximately 120,000 people through an incentive payment scheme for front-line workers.
52. UNDP supported the roll-out of an online bulk supply monitoring system in the West Bank, enabling the detection of leakages.
53. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) rehabilitated 90 rainwater cisterns for Bedouin communities, which resulted in a water storage capacity exceeding 7,200 m³, helping to address chronic shortages and enhance resilience.

Employment

54. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and prior to October 2023 in Gaza, UNDP supported a total of 1,233 micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises by providing access to technical, managerial, digital, financial and legal services, with a special focus on women-led businesses. UNDP also supported the creation of a total of 5,989 short-term jobs, including in Gaza prior to October 2023, through cash-for-work schemes, skill-building and on-the-job training.
55. ILO established local tripartite committees to promote dialogue between workers and employers. It also supported 14 new complaint units in trade unions, which resulted in over 1,000 registered complaints on workplace rights and safety issues.
56. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) supported capacity-building for 190 women business leaders and owners of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises and supported the training of 13 public and private sector institutions on the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Targeted social protection

57. In Gaza, 23,418 vulnerable individuals, including those living in female- or child-headed households, benefited from the UNRWA social safety net programme. The programme has been put on hold since October 2023, as humanitarian support replaced targeted social protection. In the West Bank, 36,122 individuals benefited from the programme each quarter.
58. From March to October 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) supported approximately 180,354 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza with monthly food assistance. After October 2023, WFP scaled up cash assistance, reaching 302,803 individuals in Gaza by the end of 2023, before transitioning to in-kind assistance. In the West Bank, prior to October 2023, WFP had provided cash assistance to 61,420 Palestinians, scaling up to 161,000 Palestinians in 2024.
59. UNFPA provided cash assistance to 1,983 women at risk of gender-based violence in Gaza and in the West Bank, while supporting 9,060 women, girls and family members (5,423 female, 3,637 male) in obtaining access to comprehensive gender-based violence services and mental health support, and reached 7,750 community members (6,372 female, 1,378 male) with information on protection from gender-based violence.
60. In Gaza, UNICEF has provided nutrition top-up cash payments since December 2023, reaching 28,840 pregnant and breastfeeding women cumulatively, and disability top-up cash payments to 5,079 families with children with disabilities.

Culture

61. UNESCO completed the renovation of the Palestinian Riwaya Museum in Bethlehem. UNESCO also continued to implement its project on the conservation and management of the Ancient Jericho/Tell-es Sultan UNESCO world heritage site, while jointly supporting sustainable tourism in Battir, another UNESCO world heritage site, with FAO.
62. Since October 2023, UNESCO has been supporting preliminary satellite imagery analysis of damage to cultural heritage sites and has verified damage to 43 such sites in Gaza.
63. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) supported the rehabilitation of the Dar al-Consul cultural and community centre in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Food security and agriculture

64. FAO supported 1,677 members of farmers’ and women’s cooperatives and their union through the renovation and upgrading of food processing facilities and the installation of solar panels. A new farmers’ market was developed in Hebron with the aim of facilitating the marketing of products from 120 cooperatives.
65. WFP distributed climate-resilient agricultural assets and provided training to 360 smallholder farmers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, WFP supplied olive oil processing equipment to 10 cooperatives.

Human rights, women, children and youth

66. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continued to promote the implementation of international human rights standards in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and advocated for their integration into the Palestinian national legal system. OHCHR helped to build the capacities of the Palestinian national human rights institution and civil society organizations to strengthen their monitoring, reporting and follow-up measures with regard to the implementation by the Government of the State of Palestine of treaty body recommendations.
67. OHCHR implemented six human rights public awareness-raising campaigns and provided 48 training sessions and substantive briefings to over 1,000 participants, including over 500 women. Participants represented various institutions, civil society organizations of persons with disabilities, women’s organizations and Palestinian young people, as well as 90 members of the Palestinian security sector and 23 members of the justice system working on the application of rights such as freedom of expression and assembly and on the prohibition of torture.
68. UNICEF continued efforts to strengthen the social service workforce and expand the coverage and quality of child protection services, enabling 73,296 children and 31,725 caregivers to be reached with child protection interventions.
69. UNDP, UNICEF and UN-Women supported access to legal aid services for 11,611 vulnerable individuals (76 per cent female). In addition, 27,307 people (68 per cent female) were supported with legal rights outreach initiatives.
70. UNDP continued to support the political participation of women through engagement and capacity-building, fostering their inclusion in local decision-making processes. UNDP also supported the establishment of a national coalition of over 30 youth-serving organizations.
71. UN-Women supported protection centres, including one-stop centres in Nablus, Ramallah and Hebron, a family and juvenile protection unit in Ramallah, a centre for girl survivors of violence and girls in conflict with the law, a centre for older persons in Jericho, and an emergency shelter in Baytunya.
72. UN-Women provided support to 6,258 individuals, including 3,972 women, for obtaining access to services for women survivors of violence. In addition, UN-Women indirectly reached over 100,000 individuals with awareness-raising actions on the issues of violence and access to services, using social media tools.
73. UNFPA supported access for 735 adolescents (640 girls, 95 boys) to educational sessions on gender roles, bodily autonomy and adolescent health, which were implemented in 20 schools and 11 Ministry of Social Development centres, and conducted additional outreach with 24,647 community members (12,084 female, 12,563 male).
74. UNFPA supported skills development for 933 young leaders, over half of whom were female, including on the design and implementation of 50 peace, resilience and cultural initiatives reaching 6,000 people.
75. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime trained 60 professionals working with youth (20 women, 40 men) on preventing drug use, violence and crime through sports and family skills, provided sports equipment to 42 schools, and implemented related programmes reaching 249 young people (169 girls, 80 boys) and 95 female caregivers.
76. In Gaza, from April to October 2023, the Mine Action Service implemented a community-based resilience training programme focused on women’s empowerment, reaching 4,589 individuals, including 2,923 women.
77. In the West Bank, UNRWA provided counselling and case management services for 450 protection cases, 178 of which involved survivors of gender-based violence. In Gaza, between April and October 2023, UNRWA provided mental health and psychosocial support services to 25,453 Palestine refugees and referred 1,650 women to legal counsellors. School counsellors provided group counselling to 10,893 children and individual counselling to 10,131 students.

Environment, housing and urban development

78. UN-Habitat continued to support spatial planning and mapping land rights for communities in the West Bank, aiming to benefit 180,000 individuals through improved statutory plans and participatory land settlement. It also continued to support gender-responsive, safe and inclusive public spaces in Palestinian cities, benefiting 1.2 million people.
79. UNDP helped to attract new green economy investments through public-private partnerships, helping about 41,750 people to gain access to clean energy. In addition, it installed 998 kilowatt peak of renewable energy systems in 17 institutions, including health and education facilities.
80. Prior to October 2023, UNDP had also continued to support the master plan for Wadi Gaza. A total of 34,000 tons of waste were transferred from Wadi Gaza to the sanitary landfill, and greening measures covered 42,000 m², contributing to ecosystem restoration and benefiting approximately 67,000 men and 69,000 women in the surrounding communities.
81. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) contributed to an annual reduction in CO₂ emissions of 13,475 tons and annual energy savings of 8,066 MWh, through efficiency and renewable energy interventions in industrial enterprises in the West Bank and, prior to October 2023, in Gaza.

B. United Nations system emergency assistance

82. The United Nations continued to provide the bulk of humanitarian assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and significantly scaled up the provision of life-saving aid in Gaza after October 2023, with the aim of reaching 2.7 million people, including the entire population of the Gaza Strip, amid severe access restrictions.

Emergency agriculture support

83. FAO provided in-kind support, including plastic sheds, animal fodder and energy blocks, for nearly 1,000 herding households. In response to the current humanitarian crisis, additional support initiatives have begun for livestock holders.

Emergency food support

84. In Gaza, between April and October 2023, UNRWA supported 1,166,882 refugees through in-kind emergency food assistance, covering 50 per cent of their daily caloric needs.
85. In the West Bank, UNRWA, in partnership with WFP, provided in-kind emergency food assistance to 38,347 members of Bedouin communities.
86. In October 2023, UNRWA, together with WFP, initially distributed food commodities, including wheat flour, to 1.6 million internally displaced persons in Gaza. UNRWA and WFP then expanded their emergency response agreement to jointly provide emergency food assistance to the entire population of 2.2 million persons in Gaza, with each organization aiming to reach 1.1 million people and meet 100 per cent of their food needs through the provision of staple dry foods and ready-to-eat canned foods.
87. WFP and UNRWA also continued to provide in-kind food assistance to approximately 38,000 individuals from Bedouin communities in Area C of the West Bank, the majority of them Palestine refugees. Around 60 per cent of the food basket was purchased locally.
88. In Gaza, after November 2023, WFP transitioned from cash transfers to in-kind assistance, as commercial food stocks declined. A partnership between WFP and UN-‍Women assisted 14,716 women-headed households (reaching 73,582 persons). WFP also supported 11 bakeries in the daily production of bread, benefiting more than 160,000 people. Nutrition supplements were distributed to 50,769 individuals, including 14,369 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 36,400 children under 5 years of age.

Emergency education support

89. In Gaza, UNICEF has supported the Ministry of Education and partners in developing a national emergency response plan aimed at ensuring the well-being of 50,871 children and adolescents (of whom 26,908 are girls) through recreational activities and has provided 3,700 adolescents girls with dignity kits. In the West Bank, UNICEF pre-positioned over 20,000 essential education-in-emergency stationery kits.
90. In Gaza, UNRWA was forced to suspend regular education support as a result of the conflict. As at 31 March 2024, 120 UNRWA school buildings (64 per cent) were affected by the hostilities, including some by direct hits. All undamaged UNRWA facilities, a majority of them schools, are hosting internally displaced persons.
91. In Gaza, UNESCO provided mental health and psychosocial support services to 1,580 internally displaced children (791 girls, 789 boys) across eight public school shelters. Some 810 caregivers, all of whom were women, also participated in psychosocial support workshops.

Emergency health support

92. WHO supported casualty management, preparedness and response capacity across all levels of the emergency care system, while also helping to maintain the continuity of essential health services. Health commodities procured by WHO with UNDP support have reached an estimated 500,000 patients in Gaza.
93. WHO undertook missions to several hospitals in Gaza to assess needs, evacuate patients and deliver essential medical supplies and fuel.
94. UNICEF continued to support essential medical services, including maternal, neonatal and child health, reaching 38 health facilities and shelters across Gaza and providing supplies to reach 487,000 people. In the West Bank, UNICEF pre‑positioned emergency health kits to meet the needs of 50,000 people for three months.
95. In Gaza, UNICEF provided 966,300 routine vaccine doses for an estimated 134,283 children under the age of 18 months.
96. Since October 2023, UNRWA has extended critical primary health-care services to the entire population of Gaza, access permitting, and provided over 3.3 million medical consultations across its health centres and shelters, even as only 8 out of 22 UNRWA health centres remained operational as at 31 March 2024.
97. In Gaza, UNFPA supported the delivery of essential supplies and reproductive health kits to obstetric facilities, hospitals and field hospitals. It also directly supported 9,000 pregnant women with clean delivery or post-partum kits, over 7,216 women with access to sexual and reproductive health counselling and 6,568 people, of whom 4,525 were female, with dignity and hygiene kits.
98. In the West Bank, UNFPA supported the operationalization of three mobile clinics that served 21 vulnerable communities in Area C, East Jerusalem, Hebron (H2 zone) and the closed area behind the barrier, improving access for 19,062 people (15,658 female, 3,404 male) to primary and integrated sexual and reproductive health care.
99. Since October 2023, UN-Women has supported the provision of psychological support and recreational activities to 10,040 persons in Gaza and 813 women in the West Bank.

Emergency housing support

100. As at 31 March 2024, nearly 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza had sought protection across UNRWA and public emergency shelters, informal sites or in the vicinity of UNRWA shelters and distribution sites, and within host communities.
101. In the West Bank, UNRWA provided cash-based assistance to 925 individuals displaced by demolitions, of whom 287 were from Jenin refugee camp. A total of 14,416 individuals (7,095 women and 7,321 men) who were negatively affected by protection threats, including Israeli security forces operations, displacement and settler violence, received emergency response services, including cash-based assistance, for shelter repair, psychological first aid and referrals to internal or external service providers.
102. In Gaza, UNRWA, UNDP and UNOPS continued to provide support to over 7,854 refugee and non-refugee families whose homes had sustained damage during the May 2021 and August 2022 escalations, in the form of shelter assistance, cash interventions, reconstruction and repairs. The conflict that began in October 2023 resulted in the suspension of these projects.
103. Prior to October 2023, UNOPS was delivering about 3 million litres of fuel every week to the Gaza power plant, increasing the electricity supply from four hours daily to about eight. After October 2023, UNOPS provided emergency fuel and associated monitoring services to essential humanitarian locations.

Emergency income generation

104. Prior to October 2023, UNRWA had provided short-term job opportunities to 10,046 Palestine refugees in Gaza through cash-for-work interventions, generating approximately 557,968 workdays through the creation of the equivalent of 2,636 full-time jobs.
105. Since October 2023, UNRWA has continued to provide short-term job opportunities to 4,151 internally displaced persons in Gaza through cash-for-work interventions.
106. Since October 2023, UNDP has been supporting short-term employment opportunities in Gaza, with 1,385 people (628 women and 757 men) currently deployed in the health and municipal services sectors.
107. ILO strengthened national mechanisms to provide temporary cash assistance to Palestinians from Gaza displaced in the West Bank. ILO supported the provision of emergency relief packages to 2,755 workers from Gaza who were stranded in the West Bank without social protection.
108. Since October 2023, UNICEF has provided cash assistance to 555,311 people (83,890 families, including 295,753 children, 18,125 persons with disabilities and 43,644 female-headed households).

Emergency water and sanitation support

109. In Gaza, UNRWA has continued to provide basic water and sanitation services in accessible areas, even during the ongoing hostilities. Ten wells operated by the Agency provide approximately 3,000 m³ of water daily, meeting critical needs in Jabalia camp, Khan Yunis and Rafah.
110. In Gaza, through the agreed United Nations mechanism on fuel imports, UNICEF provided over 1.05 million litres of fuel for water wells and desalination plants, benefiting 1.32 million people. In addition, it provided fuel, supported the repair of one wastewater treatment plant and constructed 1,180 emergency family latrines, benefiting over 275,000 people. Furthermore, 3.1 million litres of bottled water were distributed, benefiting over 858,000 people, as were diverse hygiene products, benefiting over 444,348 people.
111. In Gaza, since October 2023, UNDP has installed seven solar-powered desalination units, producing 125,000 litres of water per day, for about 45,000 internally displaced persons. UNDP, in collaboration with UNRWA, also supported the removal of approximately 16,000 tons of waste.

C. United Nations system support to Palestinian institutions

112. UNDP introduced 22 digital solutions, including a user-friendly platform for paying property taxes online, and digitized and published 10 ministerial budgets to enhance transparency and enable citizens’ access to government financial statements. UNDP also provided technical support to the Government of Palestine in the national planning process and in national administrative reform efforts.
113. WFP helped to enhance the monitoring and analysis of food insecurity by Palestinian institutions and assisted in establishing a geographic information system for the Ministry of Social Development.
114. FAO supported multiple ministries as well as the Palestinian Standards Institution in the areas of food safety inspection and certification.
115. UNODC continued to support the forensic science laboratory of the Palestinian police. It also supported the Anti-Narcotics Administration, the Correction and Rehabilitation Centres Administration, the national programme on drug control, crime prevention and criminal justice reform, and the Public Prosecution Office.
116. UNFPA supported the update of the national obstetric protocol and the initiation of a breast cancer protocol, guidelines for the updated standard operating procedures for the gender-based violence national referral system, and an assessment of the sexual and reproductive health national strategy.
117. UNFPA supported the operationalization of a national population committee in the State of Palestine and collaborated with the national Higher Council for Youth and Sport in the development of a new national youth strategy and a digital dashboard, and with the Ministry of Culture on an online hub for cultural and social innovation projects.
118. OHCHR supported dialogue between the Government of the State of Palestine and the Committee against Torture, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Human Rights Committee, including through national consultations with civil society in the West Bank and Gaza. It also supported the development of national action plans based on the findings of the Committee against Torture, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Government subsequently published the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Official Gazette, making these human rights treaties an integral part of the Palestinian legal system.
119. ILO provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Social Development, which led to the adoption of dedicated social allowances for older persons and persons with disabilities. Disbursement to 33,946 beneficiaries was expected to begin in April 2024. ILO also facilitated a comprehensive national dialogue contributing to a revised draft social security law.
120. UN-Women, UNICEF and UNDP supported the rehabilitation of the Hebron justice service centre of the Ministry of Justice, to enhance accessibility for persons with disabilities. Courthouses and prosecution offices in Jericho, Halhul, Yatta and Bethlehem were also rehabilitated to meet international standards. The Mizan case management system was further upgraded to include the linking of over 170,000 marriage, divorce, inheritance and other certificates with the civil records registry, reducing waiting times and enhancing justice sector digitalization.
121. UN-Women facilitated a tripartite collaboration among the Ministry of National Economy, the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Palestinian Monetary Authority on removing barriers facing women in the economic sector. As a result, 12 policy tools were developed and approved, along with a guidance manual on government services for women business leaders.
122. UNESCO provided technical support to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in developing a monitoring and evaluation system and supported the Ministry of Culture on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
123. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development supported the training of researchers and officials from multiple Palestinian government entities on the usage of the updated macroeconomic model for forecasting economic trajectories, allowing for better-informed policy decisions.
124. UNICEF supported the transboundary Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee in holding discussions on increasing the water rates and finding solutions for safely managed levels of sanitation.

D. Private sector development

125. Before October 2023, UNRWA had provided 4,576 microfinance loans in the amount of $4.96 million to Palestine refugee clients in Gaza. In the West Bank, UNRWA provided 4,664 loans amounting to $8.16 million, 1,815 of which were provided to refugee clients.
126. UNDP continued to support the Monshati national help desk scheme and online platform for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, which has been accessed by over 25,000 entities, 2,700 of which benefited from services provided by 27 local partners.
127. UNIDO supported a new specialized centre assisting industries to adopt sustainable energy measures and innovative technological upgrades. UNIDO also conducted 32 energy audits in industrial enterprises and enhanced the energy resilience of 148 enterprises.

E. Coordination of United Nations assistance

128. Collaboration and coordination between donors and United Nations entities continued, under the auspices of the Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The humanitarian country team, which includes both United Nations agencies and partners, met regularly to agree on humanitarian advocacy and response measures, including the issuance of flash appeals. The United Nations country team continued to work closely with the Palestinian Authority to align development programming with national priorities, adjusting to a drastically changed context and beginning to plan for post-conflict recovery after 7 October.
129. During the escalation in May 2023, the Access Support Unit coordinated the relocation of 159 staff members of diplomatic missions, international NGOs and the United Nations out of Gaza. After 7 October, the Unit facilitated the evacuation of 241 United Nations and international NGO staff and their dependants, including both relocation and medical evacuation cases. Following the start of rotations of international United Nations and NGO personnel into and out of Gaza, the Unit has coordinated over 1,400 such movements since November 2023. During the reporting period, the Unit also responded to over 4,000 access incidents not related to the war in Gaza, including through its round-the-clock hotline, and provided over 1,000 access briefings to donors, agencies, partners and journalists.

IV. Donor response to the crisis

Budgetary and fiscal support

130. The fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority remains extremely precarious. While increased domestic revenue collection, ambitious internal reforms and tight controls on spending in an emergency budget were projected to have almost eliminated the deficit in 2023, deductions by the Government of Israel on the transfer of clearance revenue that it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority were expected to create a budget deficit of nearly $535 million, before external budget support. As a result, the Palestinian Authority was forced to reduce spending on development to nearly non-existent levels and to continue the accumulation of arrears in payments to civil servants and service providers.
131. Since 7 October, the sharp economic decline and increase in clearance revenue deductions by the Government of Israel have reduced total Palestinian Authority revenues by more than 70 per cent compared with the rest of 2023 and have caused the budget deficit to increase to nearly $800 million, before external budget support, and more than $500 million, when including external budget support. As a result, the Palestinian Authority has been unable to regularly or fully pay civil servant salaries, including those of security personnel, and has increased borrowing from the domestic financial sector, further increasing its risks and resulting in an accumulated debt of more than $9 billion (50 per cent of GDP).
132. Since 2013, donor budget support, an important source of revenue for the Palestinian Authority, has declined by more than 80 per cent. In 2013, donor budget support stood at nearly $1.4 billion and accounted for a third of total expenditure. By 2023, it had fallen to less than $300 million, or just under 2 per cent of total expenditure.

Donor coordination

133. The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of the International Assistance to Palestinians held two meetings during the reporting period, which were attended by both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and by the main donors to the Palestinian Authority. The Committee maintained its support for urgent economic assistance to Palestinians and recommended the implementation of incremental, durable and meaningful steps to address the unsustainable fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority and maintain the horizon for achieving a two-State solution.
134. The local aid coordination structure remained the main forum for government-led coordination of donor-funded development interventions in some 20 sectors. After 7 October, the Palestinian Authority established an emergency committee to streamline its work and coordinate efforts with the work being done by the international community to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

V. Unmet needs

135. The flash appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which requested $1.23 billion to meet the critical needs of 2.7 million people (2.2 million in Gaza and 500,000 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem), was issued for the period from October to December 2023 and was later extended to the end of March 2024. As at 29 March 2024, Member States had disbursed nearly $1.054 billion for the updated flash appeal (86 per cent of the requested amount), $617 million out of the $629 million requested for the period from October to December 2023, and about $438 million out of the $600 million requested for the period from January to March 2024. The additional funding requirement of $2.8 billion was requested in the flash appeal for the period from April to December 2024.
136. UNRWA experienced unprecedented strategic and operational challenges in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Agency is facing a severe funding gap of $357.9 million (42.1 per cent of the budget forecast for 2024), especially after several donors suspended new funding following allegations that 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the attacks of 7 October. The allegations are being thoroughly and independently investigated, and a review of UNRWA mechanisms to ensure neutrality was completed. It is essential that UNRWA receive strong political and financial support from Member States.
137. An interim damage assessment, which was carried out by the World Bank and the United Nations in partnership with the European Union, estimated the cost of direct damages to critical infrastructure in Gaza at about $18.5 billion as at the end of January 2024. The physical damage in Gaza is unprecedented in recent history and amounts to approximately 97 per cent of the total GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022. A more comprehensive rapid damage and needs assessment, which, in addition to infrastructure damage, will also take into account social and economic losses and reconstruction and recovery needs, is expected to be conducted as soon as safe physical access to Gaza is possible.

VI. Challenges

138. The continued conflict has generated unprecedented suffering and humanitarian needs in Gaza, with considerable spillover into the occupied West Bank and the broader region. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire is critical to avert further suffering among the civilian population. All remaining hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally.
139. Since the start of the war in October 2023, the United Nations and the humanitarian community have faced critical impediments to the safe and effective delivery of life-saving assistance to 2.3 million people in Gaza, and an unprecedented loss of life among United Nations staff and aid workers. Safe and unimpeded access to and throughout Gaza is non-negotiable and essential to averting famine. The restrictions imposed by Israel on UNRWA, the backbone of United Nations humanitarian operations, represent an additional formidable challenge.
140. The ongoing hostilities and the absence of a political process to end the occupation and achieve a viable two-State solution, compounded by continued settlement expansion, demolitions and evictions, restrictions on access and movement, violence and the continuation of a protracted military occupation, continue to impede the development of the State of Palestine, significantly hamper Palestinians’ ability to exercise their fundamental human rights and contribute to the current humanitarian crisis.
141. The ongoing internal political division of the State of Palestine has been a major obstacle to development, the addressing of humanitarian needs and the restoration of a political horizon. The increase in violence in the occupied West Bank, including a significant rise in the number and intensity of Israeli operations that included heavy armed exchanges, settler violence and incitement, as well as Palestinian attacks against Israelis, only added to mutual fear and suspicion during the reporting period.
142. Addressing the dire fiscal situation of the Palestinian Authority to help it to meet minimum recurrent expenditures, address outstanding arrears, deliver basic services and make critical investments, including in the eventual reconstruction of Gaza, is a critical precondition for development. In this regard, the reforms announced by the new Government formed by the Palestinian Authority are a welcome step towards a revitalized governing body for the Palestinian people.
143. Recovery and reconstruction in Gaza will require enormous resources, the full scale of which has yet to be determined, and a set of minimum operating conditions for the United Nations and other key actors. These include an agreed transitional politico-security framework that promotes accountability, transparency and Palestinian ownership of the recovery process, a minimum level of security, a minimum level of essential services with a coherent governance framework, and the predictable entry into Gaza, at scale, of necessary materials and equipment, including those needed for rubble removal and mine action.

VII.   Conclusion

144. During the reporting period, the United Nations faced an operational context with unprecedented challenges and a previously unseen scale of life-saving assistance needs. The Organization will continue to coordinate and deliver humanitarian and development assistance throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including for the reconstruction of Gaza, while working towards the realization of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), 1850 (2008), 1860 (2009) and 2334 (2016), an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and the establishment of an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous Palestinian State, existing side by side with Israel in peace, within secure and recognized borders and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States