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State of Palestine: Humanitarian Situation Report, October - December 2016

Attachments

Highlights

The situation in East Jerusalem remains tense. Child protection concerns continue as a result. During the fourth quarter, 220 arrests of children in East Jerusalem were documented by Wadi Hilweh Centre. UNICEF reached 195 children in conflict with the law (88.6 per cent of those identified) with legal support through the Wadi Hilweh Centre.

In Gaza, the reconstruction work of three wells in Khan Younis, Maghazi and Deir Al Balah destroyed during the last conflict were completed, benefitting around 37,000 people. The rehabilitation works of sewage and water networks in Khan Younis and Rafah governorate were also completed to benefit around 58,000 people.

In Gaza, children’s learning experience is negatively affected by the short school days due to double shifts and chronic overcrowding. In the West Bank, harassment of children on the way to school continues to be a key issue. Security-related incidents have also affected school infrastructure in Area C and areas close to settlements.

A total of 3,150 women and 7,969 children under 5 were screened for malnutrition disorders, of which a total of 489 children were found malnourished, of which some 10 cases as SAM and the rest (479 cases) as MAM. During the fourth quarter, UNICEF supported them with therapeutic food, through existing services and partners.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Humanitarian needs remain critical in Palestine, where the population has been affected by 50 years of occupation and 10 years of blockade in Gaza. In Gaza, health care services struggle to function without adequate stocks of lifesaving medicines and supplies. The lack of access to clean water in Gaza and water scarcity in parts of the West Bank continues to be challenging. One in every four children in Gaza is in need of protection and psychosocial support. The restrictions imposed by Israel since April 2016 on the entry of building materials into Gaza, slowed the pace of reconstruction of homes destroyed or damaged during the 2014 conflict, and prolong the vulnerability of more than 10,000 families who are still displaced . Children slipped deeper into poverty, with some still living in protracted displacement. In Gaza, low-lying areas face risk of flooding, which could affect up to 500,000 people, as well as 64 schools and 10 health centres .

Children in the West Bank suffered the highest losses of the past decade with 32 child fatalities due to Israeli Security and private security guards actions in 2016. Significant numbers of children were also displaced as the Government of Israel carried out a record-breaking pace of home demolitions .

Due to limitations imposed on WASH infrastructural development by the blockade and the occupation, some 1.45 million people in Palestine (around 1.3 million people in the Gaza Strip and 150,000 people in the West Bank) are in need of humanitarian WASH related assistance4 . The high unemployment rate of adolescents and lack of opportunities also remain a significant challenge throughout Palestine.