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Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, August 2007
28 September 2007
Summary of monthly Humanitarian Monitor report produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
KEY ISSUES OVERVIEW
Continued closure of Gaza crossings
The continued closure of the principal Gaza crossing points at Karni and Rafah have had a significant impact on the daily lives of Gaza's 1.4 million population. Rafah crossing which serves as the principal entry-exit point to the outside world, was last open on 9 June. The sudden closure of the crossing in early June left thousands of Palestinians stranded south of the border in Egypt unable to return to their homes and families in Gaza. Between 29 July and 12 August an alternative crossing point was offered to 6,374 Palestinian passengers that involved entering Israel from Egypt through the Nitzana/Al Auja crossing. Passengers then travelled by bus to Erez crossing and continued their journey into Gaza. A similar route for departures from Gaza was made available 26 and 30 August, although not for arrivals. The Gaza economy continues to contract on a daily basis as a result of the inability of the private sector to obtain raw materials and to export through Karni.
Gaza power station
Erratic fuel supplies to the sole power station in the Gaza Strip have seen power cuts of up to 12 hours per day, with domestic water supplies down to 2-3 hours per day. Capacity at the power station still remains an issue of concern with only two out of the four turbines currently working. One of the turbines was shipped to Israel for service and maintenance on 7 August and still awaits return. A fourth turbine lies idle, again pending transfer to Israel, due to the need for immediate service and maintenance.
Municipal workers' strikes
Gaza city municipality was on strike between 11-23 August with strikes of smaller duration in northern Gaza and Khan Younis. The strike by Gaza city's 1,870 municipal employees was due to the non payment of salaries that dates back to the beginning of this year. Eighty (80) percent of municipal revenue derives from service charges and currently the collection rate is only 15% as people are too poor to pay. During the period of the strike, garbage collection ceased with approximately 600 tons of rubbish accumulating each day on street corners throughout Gaza city. The municipal workers are asking for February's salary and have threatened a second strike if it is not paid during September.
Health union workers' strike
The Palestinian local health unions (excluding the nurses' union) called for a suspension of work for two hours daily in the health sector in the Gaza Strip, during the period 14-16 August. According to the unions, the strike was called to protest Hamas's actions against health workers. Hamas in response assigned volunteers to cover some of the work in the health facilities. On 19 August, the unions intensified the strike by suspending all services, except for emergency services, after 11:00 am until 23 August. On 26 August the unions called for a further extension of the strike until 13 September with the same measures.
Impact of closure on agricultural season in Gaza
The autumn season forms about 80% of the Gazan crop production for export and local markets. The closure has resulted in a steadily increasing shortage of agricultural inputs, along with increasing prices and sub-optimal productivity of the sector. For example, the August prices of fertilizers, animal feed and poultry feed increased by around 20%, 43% and 26% respectively compared to pre-crisis levels. In most cases, if inputs are physically available, the decrease in farmers' incomes has made them economically inaccessible.
New school year places additional economic burden on families
UNRWA reports that with the start of the new school year, some families in Bethlehem city and Jerusalem's periphery reported being unable to afford basic school fees for their children (NIS 40). Purchase of stationery has been reduced to the limit and families only buy what teachers ask for without spending money on bags or any additional items. Some families are simply waiting for in kind donations from charities or foreign organisations.
REGIONAL OVERVIEW
West Bank & East Jerusalem
Closure of 'Asirah ash-Shamaliya checkpoint & impact on humanitarian assistance - 'Asirah ash-Shamiliya checkpoint, which is situated just north of Nablus city, has been closed for Palestinian traffic since the beginning of the current Intifada in 2000. However, during the last 18 months, the IDF have allowed humanitarian organisations and ambulances to make use of the checkpoint. During the last week of August, this policy was changed, with the checkpoint closed to everyone except ambulances in emergency cases. As a result of the closure, the communities north-west of Nablus are less accessible, with travelling times and distances in some cases quadrupling.
Difficulties affecting the grape harvest in Bethlehem & Hebron area - Bethlehem and Hebron-area farmers have been severely impacted by the inability to effectively market their grape harvest due to tightened Israeli internal closures, including being denied access to their lands especially around Israeli settlements, and the loss of markets in Israel, abroad, Gaza and the northern West Bank. A key issue is that, as export opportunities are stifled, internal markets are unable to provide adequate prices for the grape harvest. Other issues are the high competition with the grapes harvested by Israeli settlers, and the internal closures imposed by Israel which have reduced the number of vegetable and fruit markets available for the sale of produce.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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