WHO operational response plan: occupied Palestinian territory (April 2024 – December 2024)

22 May 2024

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Introduction

WHO’s Operational Response Plan for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) for April 2024 to December 2024 follows from the existing plan, published in November 2023. The initial plan was developed in the early weeks of the escalation in hostilities in October 2023 and has been a guiding document for WHO and our health partner’s operations.

As the situation has steadily deteriorated over the last six months, WHO and health partners within the Health Cluster and beyond are assessing and recalibrating our response to adapt to the volatile and highly concerning situation in oPt. The health needs are overwhelming on a scale that has not been seen before in this setting, amidst a restrictive operational context and limited humanitarian space for action.

The previous plan, aligned with the broader humanitarian Flash Appeal, was approximately 50% funded with US$ 107 million received by various partners (as of 18 March 2024). This April 2024 to December 2024 plan is also aligned with the updated Flash Appeal, including the Health Cluster response plan.

While the underlying principles of WHO’s response remain unchanged, the operational priorities and planning for different scenarios reflects the current and foreseen magnitude of the challenges and recognizes the long-term impact this crisis will have on the population of Gaza in particular.

This current operational plan was informed by the outcomes of the intra-action review that has evaluated the WHO’s response to the humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory from October 2023 to March 2024. WHO used the methodical approach through a survey, focus group discussions, and an integrative meeting and identified strengths in the health response over the past six months despite severe operational challenges and critical areas needing improvement such as partner coordination, resource mobilization, and security.

Moving forward, WHO identified and prioritized the implementation of identified corrective and preventive actions to enhance operation effectiveness and inform the objectives of the operational plan for April 2024 to December 2024. With strategic improvements and operational readiness, WHO aims to refine response mechanisms to better serve affected populations and adapt to evolving crisis scenarios, ensuring optimized health service delivery amidst ongoing challenges. The ongoing focus on the humanitarian health response is complemented by the critical component of early recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.