Escalation of Hostilities and Unrest in the oPt - Flash Appeal, 27 May 2021

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Unrest in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) rose in the second quarter of 2021, particularly in East Jerusalem, against the backdrop of postponed Palestinian elections and unilateral measures, including scheduled forced evictions of four Palestinian refugee families from their homes and increasing settlement activity. Violent clashes involving Palestinians, farright Israeli activists, and Israeli forces followed weeks of movement restrictions on Palestinians, mainly in the Old City and in the holy sites during the month of Ramadan. Despite some Israeli efforts to de-escalate the situation on Jerusalem Day, the situation escalated significantly when Hamas issued an ultimatum related to events in Jerusalem. The same afternoon, on 10 May, Hamas fired a series of long-range rockets toward Jerusalem.

The most serious escalation of hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza since the 2014 conflict followed. Between 10 and 21 May, armed groups fired more than 4,300 rockets towards cities and towns across southern and central Israel, while Israeli forces carried out over 1,500 strikes from air, land and sea across Gaza. In parallel, there has been a significant rise in protests, clashes and arrests across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in some communities in Israel. These have resulted in significant loss of life and human suffering.

In Gaza, the humanitarian consequences have been devastating, exacerbating the impact of almost 14 years of an Israeli blockade, internal Palestinian political divisions and recurrent escalations.

This appeal outlines the immediate humanitarian and early recovery responses for the coming 3 months, requesting $US 95 million to address the needs of 1.1 million Palestinians, in the areas of protection, health, water and sanitation, education and food security. The Plan is designed to complement ongoing operations outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2021 and will also complement longer-term recovery and reconstruction efforts.