Israeli demolition in East Jerusalem displaces 69 Palestinians

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Sixty-nine Palestinians – more than half of them children – were displaced on Tuesday after Israeli authorities green lit the demolition of their residential building in the At Tur area of East Jerusalem, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) has reported.

This is the highest number of people displaced in a single demolition in occupied East Jerusalem since UN records began in 2009.

Families told the UN and humanitarian partners on the ground that Israeli forces had prevented them from retrieving their belongings, which are now buried under rubble.

UN aid partners assessed expelled families’ immediate needs, providing rent support and other essential items.

So far this year, Israeli authorities have demolished or forced owners to demolish the homes of more than 1,800 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Most were demolished for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians in the affected areas.

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Aid teams have provided them with emergency shelter, essential items and psychosocial support.

Gaza: Water and sanitation needs go unmet 

Meanwhile in Gaza, water and sanitation support is being held back due to funding shortfalls and restrictions on the entry of critical supplies, according to OCHA.

Restricted items include engine oil, spare parts and equipment critical to keeping vehicles and machines running.

Partners say shortages have reduced water production at two desalination plants in southern Gaza, where equipment could not be properly maintained, leading to some rationing of drinking water for roughly 500,000 people in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.

Across the devastated enclave, partners estimate that three in every four families rely on water delivered by truck, until water infrastructure can be fully restored.

Partners are delivering 25,000 cubic metres of drinking water every day through 3,200 collection points. However, the vehicles they use need maintenance and access to certain areas is often suspended due to insecurity.

Cleaning supplies 

Aid agencies have also provided thousands of trash cans, bags, sponges and dusters; 3,000 litres of dishwashing soap; 4,600 gloves and facemasks; nearly 1,300 litres of bleach; over 200 latrines; and hundreds of hygiene kits.

Shortages of import-restricted items have recently prevented vehicles from being used to collect and transfer solid waste, forcing reliance on donkey carts and UN trucks instead.

In addition to approvals for restricted items, OCHA said access must be restored to Gaza’s two landfills that are close to the Strip’s perimeter to prevent waste building up in populated areas. Sustained funding for fuel is also critical.