 Home Overseas Projects The Middle East Project News
Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, June 2007
26 July 2007
Summary of monthly Humanitarian Monitor report produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
KEY ISSUES OVERVIEW
Unprecedented levels of factional violence in Gaza
Following the 19 May ceasefire between Fatah forces and Hamas-affiliated Executive Support Forces (ESF), intense factional fighting resumed in the Gaza Strip on 9 June. By 15 June, Hamas had assumed full control over the Gaza Strip. The total number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of internal violence during 2007 has risen to 386. Retaliatory action against Hamas-affiliated individuals occurred in the West Bank with several kidnappings and the arrest by PA security forces of some 200 alleged Hamas members in the West Bank.
Daiy life in Gaza brought to a standstill
The period of intense fighting between 9-15 June saw daily life for many Palestinian civilians brought to a halt and the provision of humanitarian assistance severely impaired. Gaza residents were prevented from reaching essential health services and food outlets. After two UN staff members were killed, UNRWA announced on 13 June the immediate suspension of most operations, which were fully resumed by 17 June. On 13 June, UN organisations working in the oPt issued a joint statement noting that reports of attacks on hospitals, ambulances and extra-judicial killings, raised "concerns of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law."
Dissolution of National Unity Government & formation of Emergency Government
On 14 June, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the National Unity government. A newly-appointed Emergency Government was sworn in on 16 June. With the removal of Hamas from the Government, aid was fully resumed to the Palestinian Authority. This followed the European Union's early June resumption of aid to the Palestinian Ministry of Finance. The resumption of aid comes as Palestinians are facing a major debt crisis, largely a result of PA salaries being suspended.
Gaza crossings closed; thousands stranded at Egyptian border
Gaza's crossings were progressively sealed when fighting broke out on 9 June. As of 30 June, Rafah and Erez crossings remained closed as the Israeli and Palestinian sides had not established a coordination mechanism. Karni crossing opened for two days only for grain imports. Humanitarian imports via Kerem Shalom and Sufa crossings are unsustainable due to insufficient infrastructure and capacity at these crossings. Some 6,000 Palestinian civilians have been trapped on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, including patients returning from medical treatment abroad. The Gazan industrial sector is under severe stress due to the inability to import raw materials as well as the inability to export final products.
Isolation of the agricultural sector in Gaza
Political developments in the Gaza Strip in June, followed by the tightening of the closure, sharply impacted the agriculture sector, which is critical for the provision of fresh, nutritious foods and farmers' income. The rise of input costs, including feed, veterinary products, fertilizers and pesticides, coupled with declining market prices of products are affecting the viability of farming activities and raise concerns for the upcoming agriculture season.
Impact on health sector
Access to health care was extremely difficult in Gaza in June. Exchanges of fire were reported inside public hospitals and two ambulances were hijacked by militants. President Mahmoud Abbas's decree stipulating that all public employees appointed after 25 January 2006 be dismissed may impact 24,000 public and security workers, including some 1,000 MoH workers (according to initial estimates). The Emergency Government also decided that Gaza Strip residents do not have to pay for public services, including locally collected taxes and service fees. As a result of the uncertain financial situation in Gaza, many suppliers stopped supplying food, detergents and stationery to hospitals, resulting in shortages.
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
West Bank & East Jerusalem
Israeli High Court dismisses appeal of Susiya residents - During a 6 June hearing, the Israeli High Court dismissed the appeal that was filed in 2001 by residents of Susiya (population 250). During the hearing, the Court gave the villagers only one month to submit a building plan to the DCL in order to obtain building permits. On 25 and 26 June, surveyors hired by the community were denied access to the land of Susiya by the IDF, despite the fact that prior coordination had taken place. The decision of allowing the residents to build or ordering the IDF to remove them and destroy their dwellings is in the hands of the DCL. If eviction takes place, it will be the fifth time the 13 families of the village have been evicted from their lands. The eviction will also likely impact other communities, specifically all of Massafer Yatta (population 1,200), as a similar court case is lodged on their behalf in the High Court.
Gaza Strip
UNRWA's "Summer Games" for Gazan children - In late June, UNRWA launched its "Summer Games" initiative in Gaza involving almost 200,000 children in a broad range of recreational and educational activities. "Summer Games" form part of UNRWA's attempt to mitigate the worst effects of the current crisis by not only providing vital direct assistance, but also through creative human development initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for its participants.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
|
