Critical aid blocked in Gaza, as fuel shortages threaten lifesaving services

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Israeli authorities continue to deny UN-led efforts to reach North Gaza with lifesaving aid, including the most recent attempt on Friday, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  

On Thursday, only 10 out of 21 planned humanitarian movements were facilitated by the Israeli authorities. Seven were denied outright, three were impeded and one was cancelled due to security and logistical challenges, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, at Friday’s media briefing in New York.

OCHA is also deeply concerned about the impact that dwindling fuel supplies are having on essential services in Gaza. Palestinian telecommunication providers are now warning that their services may start to shut down on Saturday due to fuel shortages.

Impact on hospitals

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday that Al Awda Hospital – the last partially functioning hospital in North Gaza governorate – is critically low on fuel and essential medical supplies.

Parts of the region, namely Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalya refugee camps, have been besieged for more than three months now and Al Awda has been overwhelmed with patients.

Conditions have only deteriorated following the forced closure of the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals in the north, due to repeated attacks, raids and forced evacuations.

WHO has been working to access Al Awda to replenish crucial supplies and assess the damage at Kamal Adwan Hospital, which is no longer operational. 

However, damaged roads and insufficient access by the Israeli authorities have made it impossible to safely reach the stricken hospitals.

Mr. Dujarric called for immediate action to be taken to make roads passable and facilitate access to the crippled health facilities.

Escalation of violence in the West Bank

Meanwhile, new reporting from OCHA indicates that during the first week of this year, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians, including a child, and injured 38 others across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

During the first week of the year, Israeli settlers also injured 18 Palestinians across the West Bank, including nine in Silwad village in Ramallah governorate. 

Separately, armed Palestinians shot and killed three Israeli settlers and injured eight others near Qalqiliya. 

Already this year, more than 50 Palestinians in the West Bank have been displaced due to home demolitions, the majority in Silwan in East Jerusalem.

In the Jenin refugee camp, security forces with the Palestinian Authority have been clashing with militant factions for more than a month.

OCHA reports that since the operation began, access to the camp has been heavily restricted.

The UN’s Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, estimates that some 3,400 people remain in the Jenin camp, amid dire conditions whilst more than 2,000 families have been displaced to Jenin city.

OCHA has mobilised partners to respond to the needs of the affected families both inside and outside the camp, according to Mr. Dujarric.

© UNICEF/Diego Ibarra Sánchez

A a 5-year-old walks amongst the ruins of houses in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon: $30 million from UN fund to help war victims

In Lebanon, $30 million was allocated on Friday from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to address the devastating impact of the recent conflict.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza, highlighted the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the crippling of basic services, including healthcare, water and sanitation, amid heavy fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. 

Although a ceasefire is now being observed, the humanitarian toll remains severe.  

The funding will focus on food security, shelter, nutrition, protection, healthcare, water, sanitation and education while localised, community-driven responses will ensure the most vulnerable populations are prioritised.