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HIGHLIGHTS
As of 30 September, 39 Palestinian children were killed, and 894 children were reported injured in conflict-related violence. Prior to the recent escalation in the Gaza Strip, 495,600 children were in need of MHPSS, while 700,000 children faced limited access to primary healthcare due to overstretched and disrupted health services. Insufficient water supply to households, poor sanitation, limited public WASH services, and risk of flooding further expose 1.36 million Palestinians to waterborne diseases’ risks. A total of 12,280 children benefited from essential health and nutrition interventions. A total of 2,525 children were reached with PS services through family centres. More than 47,000 students in public schools in the Gaza Strip continued to utilize education stationary kits. UNICEF also provided humanitarian cash transfers that benefitted 4,420 children. In 2022, UNICEF required US$39,000,000, of which US$ 6,917,016 were received. A total of 71 per cent of the appeal remains a funding gap.
FUNDING OVERVIEW AND PARTNERSHIPS
In 2022, UNICEF requires US$ 39,000,000 million humanitarian funding to provide and sustain life-saving services for women and children in the State of Palestine (SoP). UNICEF has received funding from the European Commission / ECHO, UNOCHA, Norway, Australian Committee for UNICEF, Danish Committee for UNICEF, German Committee for UNICEF, Spanish Committee for UNICEF, United States Fund for UNICEF and the UNICEF Global Thematic Humanitarian Response fund. However, the 2022 appeal still has a funding gap of 71 per cent.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
More than 2.1 million people, including 934,000 children are increasingly vulnerable due to the protracted protection crisis in the State of Palestine. This crisis is a result of the ongoing occupation and recurrent escalation of hostilities, deepening financial and fiscal crisis within the Palestinian economy, and a surge in commodity prices due to the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. The key drivers of the humanitarian crisis, combined with the recent escalation in the Gaza Strip and COVID-19, have deepened the vulnerability of children in Palestine and in turn have increased the demand for humanitarian assistance, which is likely to continue in 2023.
Only 14 months after the May 2021 escalation, in August 2022 three days of intense hostilities took place in the Gaza Strip leaving thousands of children traumatized and in need of life-saving support. Prior to the hostilities in August 2022, 934,000 children in the Gaza Strip were already in need of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) and this number is expected to increase following the escalation.
At the same time, in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian needs in other sectors persist following almost sixteenth year of the closure. Around 1.3 million children have constrained access to essential services which is overwhelming the capacities of health and child protection service providers. Since the beginning of the year until the end of September 2022, 39 Palestinian children were killed (17 in the Gaza Strip and 22 in the West Bank) and 894 children were reported injured in conflict-related violence. During the same period, Israeli forces detained 404 children in East Jerusalem.
The World Bank estimates that the May 2021 conflict has increased poverty to 59.3 per cent in 2021, a 2.3 percentage points higher than the COVID-19 induced peak in 2020 in the Gaza Strip. This is expected to increase after the 2022 escalation. For instance, 50 per cent This is over and above other driving factors such as high unemployment and deteriorating living conditions. The high rate of unemployment and lack of economic opportunities is affecting many households and increasing their dependency, particularly in the Gaza Strip. During the second quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate reached 44 per cent in the Gaza Strip and 14 per cent in the West Bank (21 per cent men and 38 per cent women).
Furthermore, 5.7 per cent of school-age children in the Gaza Strip dropped out during the current academic year due to school-related expenses, children having to work or schools not being inclusive.
Dropout rates in the West Bank are estimated at 19 per cent, primarily due to protection risks and school closures.
Health services continue to be overstretched and disrupted, including because of COVID-19, as of 30 September 2022 more than 702,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 50 per cent were women and 10 per cent were children under the age of 18. This is leaving an estimated 1.5 million people (66 per cent in the Gaza Strip and 33 per cent in the West Bank), including 700,000 children, with limited access to primary healthcare. Moreover, insufficient water supply to households, poor sanitation, limited public WASH services, and risk of flooding further expose 1.36 million Palestinians to waterborne diseases’ risks.